Communications Law
TaylorMade v. Costco: Patent law in the world of Golf
As of February 2, 2024, Costco is now involved in their second legal dispute involving major golf companies. Back in 2017, Acushnet, the owner of Titleist, sued Costco for patent infringement and false advertising concerning Kirkland’s Signature golf balls. However, the parties resolved all claims out of court the following year. Despite this, Costco finds […]
Week 7 Spring 2024 – Slides & Video
Slides, video & copyright flow-charts below…
“C’mon plagiarism”: Squishmallows v Skoosherz
Jazwares, the company behind Squishmallows (which was acquired by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway in 2022), is suing Build-a-Bear over its new Skoosherz plush line for trade dress and copyright infringement. Squishmallows were launched in 2017, exploded in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and have built a cult following of both children and adults. Social media […]
Week 6 Spring 2024 – Slides & Video
Slides & video below…
Cheap Replicas on Foreign Website (Temu)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/regina-woodworking-business-website-stolen-ornament-design-1.7082661 A Regina business is offering a cautionary tale about shopping on discount websites after finding a cheap replica of one of its designs for sale. Sticks and Doodles is a hand-crafted woodworking and ornament store in Regina. A customer informed the owners after finding a Sticks and Doodles design — a grain elevator ornament — […]
Week 5 Spring 2024 – Slides & Video
Slides & video below…
Fallout from licensing rights negotiation between UMG and TikTok goes public
As of February 1, the catalogue of Universal Music Group (UMG) is no longer available on the TikTok platform. UMG is the world’s largest music company and holds the rights to many artists such as Taylor Swift and Drake. In the lead-up of the expiry of the previous licensing agreement, negotiations for a new agreement […]