Use of Common Words in Trademarks Can Still Dilute By Harry Zhou – Edited by Jad Mills Visa Int’l Serv. Ass’n v. JSL Corp., No. 08-15206 (9th Cir. Jun. 28, 2010) Slip Opinion On June 28, 2010, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada’s grant of summary judgment for Visa International Service Association (“VISA”) on its trademark dilution claim against JSL Corporation (“JSL”). Chief Judge Alex Kozinski delivered the opinion, holding that JSL’s “eVisa” ... Read More...

By Kassity Liu Judge Orders Copyright Plaintiff to Justify Joining Thousands of Defendants in a Single Lawsuit Ars Technica reports that Federal Judge Rosemary Collyer ordered the US Copyright Group to explain why joining thousands of anonymous “John Does” into one lawsuit is permissible under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP). The judge, after encountering one case that was filed against 4,577 anonymous P2P defendants, issued the order requiring the Group to “convince [her] within two weeks that jamming ... Read More...

Ninth Circuit Affirms Injunction Against Online Check-Issuer Qchex By Leocadie Welling – Edited by Chinh Vo Federal Trade Commission v. Neovi, Inc., No. 09-55093 (9th Cir. May 14, 2010) Slip Opinion On May 14, 2010, the Ninth Circuit affirmed a grant of summary judgment in favor of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and an injunction granted by the Southern District of California against appellant Neovi, Inc (“Neovi”). The FTC had brought claims alleging that Neovi, through its online Qchex service, ... Read More...

By Chinh Vo Supreme Court to Decide on Law Regulating Sale of Violent Video Games to Kids Wired reports that the Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether states may forbid the sale or rental of violent video games to children. The Court will review a ruling by the Ninth Circuit that struck down a California law, imposing fines for selling “patently offensive” or “morbid” games to people under the age of 18, on First Amendment grounds. Similar laws have ... Read More...

By Kassity Liu Amazon Files Lawsuit to Protect Consumer Privacy On April 19, 2010, online retailer Amazon.com filed a lawsuit against the North Carolina Department of Revenue (DOR), asking a federal judge to preempt the DOR’s request for detailed information on consumers’ purchases from the company’s website. CNET and Ars Technica reported that Amazon is pushing back because it believes the DOR’s request violates consumers’ rights under the First Amendment and the Video Privacy Protection Act. In its complaint, Amazon ... Read More...