You may recall that DuetsBlog informed you in May of 2016 (here) that Beyoncé filed suit in New York federal court against a company and its owners who were using the mark Feyoncé on apparel and other products, such as mugs. She has now dismissed the lawsuit—likely based on a settlement (although the settlement has not been reported yet, and if there is a confidentiality provision in the agreement we may never know for…

I was not caught up in the wizardry of Harry Potter until last April when I saw “Harry Potter the Cursed Child” on Broadway. Now I understand the importance of wizardry and the Harry Potter brand. The most recent battle for Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (“Warner Bros.”) is related to nine (9) applications it filed for the WIZARDING WORLD word mark and design mark for various goods and services.  Specifically, the company Wizard World, Inc.…

An NFL team and an NBA team are duking it out over trademarks with the word “UPRISING” to be used with eSports. What is eSports you may ask? It is professional competitive video gaming. Anyone with a teenager has probably heard of Fortnite. Fortnite is a world-wide phenomenon. Over three nights during TwitchCon (which is a Fortnite competition), Fortnite averaged around 65,000 viewers per day across Twitch, YouTube and Facebook. However, there are also numerous…

Florida start-up entity BAD MOMS, LLC beat the producer of the movie with the same name to the punch! Specifically, the company sued the producer for declaratory judgment and an injunction preventing the movie producer from using the mark in connection with any of the Florida company’s goods and services or those related thereto. Both parties have pending applications for BAD MOMS and related trademarks. The lawsuit came after the movie producer sent demand letters…

The popular UGG® branded sheepskin boots are at the heart of a dispute in the Northern District of Illinois. Deckers Outdoor Corp. (“Deckers”) owns 29 federal registrations for the trademark UGG in connection with numerous goods and services, including footwear, clothing, wallets, passport covers, plush toys and retail store services. The company also has four pending applications for UGG to add to this family of UGG trademarks. Deckers sued Australian Leather Pty. Ltd. and its…

The trademark ST. ROCH MARKET is at the heart of a dispute in New Orleans (aka NOLA).  The City of New Orleans is battling in court with the current lessee of the building associated with the trademark. ROCH MARKET has been associated with a popular market in New Orleans since 1875. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, the market sold fresh seafood. After begin devastated by the hurricane, the City pumped over $3.2 million dollars to transform…

Since last week, the internet has blown-up about what United States Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh might decide regarding issues coming before the Supreme Court if he joined the highest Court of the land. As a judge on the D.C. Circuit, Judge Kavanaugh has been skeptical about the authority of administrative agencies. This could impact decisions rendered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). Specifically, Judge Kavanaugh has been critical of the…