Old Ox Brewery is already caught up in a trademark infringement dispute almost a year before a single customer has been able to taste its beer. Red Bull, the well-known energy drink company, alleges that the logo, name and slogan of Old Ox Brewery is infringing on its trademark. Sometimes these disputes can be settled by an
Twenty-two-year-old English musician Sam Smith accidentally infringed on the intellectual property (IP) of the legendary American musician Tom Petty. Smith alleged that he had never heard of Petty’s 1989 song I Won’t Back Down when he wrote the melodically similar song Stay With Me, which was recently Grammy-nominated. The music industry is prone to all kinds of business litigation, because
Generally, a company will have its upper management employees sign a non-compete agreement, but will not require the same of lower level employees. However, the sandwich chain Jimmy John’s has decided to go its own direction with its non-compete agreement, which has caused some controversy. New hires, whether they are an executive or a sandwich maker,
Gillette has filed a trade secrets lawsuit against four of its former employees, all of which are employees of ShaveLogic. Gillette argues that ShaveLogic was given trade secrets by these former employees, who have breached their contract with Gillette by doing so. Trade secrets are an integral part of why a business succeeds. As such, other companies will sometimes
A United States District Judge in San Francisco has dismissed a lawsuit against Apple Inc., because the plaintiffs failed to deliver strong enough proof that Apple made affirmative misrepresentations. The plaintiffs had accused Apple of selling computers with defects, while billing the laptops as the “most advanced” computers on sale. The judge found that the computers
A United States District Judge in San Francisco has dismissed a lawsuit against Apple Inc., because the plaintiffs failed to deliver strong enough proof that Apple made affirmative misrepresentations. The plaintiffs had accused Apple of selling computers with defects, while billing the laptops as the “most advanced” computers on sale. The judge found that the computers
Various companies are in legal trouble for selling mixtapes to the family and friends of inmates in correctional facilities. Universal Music has decided to crack down on this industry, which market mixtapes as “care packages.” Many well-known artists such as James Brown and Eminem have been mentioned in the complaint sent to a California federal
An old lawsuit against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. has been revived in California by a U.S. District Court judge. A class action involving 10 plaintiffs is now able to continue after waiting for a period of five years. The tobacco company is being accused of a breach of contract, deceptive practices and unfair competition, because of a
Microsoft has sued two technical support companies, Customer Focus Services and Anytime Techies, on the assertion of multiple trademark infringements. More specifically, Microsoft is attempting to fight against supposed tech support scams that it claims are tricking customers into paying for technical help by claiming affiliation with Microsoft. The tech support companies are accused of convincing
Juli Adams, the creator of the plush pet toys “Angry Birds,” filed a lawsuit after The Hartz Mountain Company sold her intellectual property to Rovio Entertainment, a video game company. Adams had originally designed her toys for Hartz. Adams claims that she has the trademark for “Angry Birds,” while Hartz claims that it has the rights to her designs
