Court Declares “Grand Theft” Crime Free By Briahna Gray – Edited by Miriam Weiler E.S.S. Entertainment 2000, Inc., v. Rock Star Videos, Inc., November 5 2008, No. 06-56237 Slip Opinion On November 5, 2008 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Central California District Court summary judgment ruling to dismiss the case brought by the operators of a Los Angeles strip club (“E.S.S.”) against Rock Star Videos (“Rockstar”), the manufacturer of the Grand Theft Auto video games, for trademark ... Read More...
FCC Approves Unlicensed White Space Use By Dmitriy Tishyevich – Edited by Miriam Weiler Action by the Federal Communications Commission, by Second Report and Order (FCC 08-260) On November 4, the Federal Communications Commission unanimously approved the use of unlicensed wireless devices that operate in “white spaces,” the unused spectrum between licensed broadcast television channels that can be used to provide broadband connectivity and other services similar to Wi-fi. The Commission’s approval extends to all WSDs that include a geolocation capability ... Read More...
Harry Potter Lexicon Found to Infringe J.K. Rowling’s Copyright By Miriam Weiler – Edited by Evie Breithaupt Warner Bros. Entertainment v. RDR Books S.D.N.Y, September 8th 2008, No. 07 Civ. 09667 Slip Opinion (hosted by Justia.com) This week, Judge Robert P. Patterson of Southern District of New York, granted a permanent injunction against Defendant RDR Books (“RDR”) and awarded statutory damages to Plaintiffs Warner Brothers Entertainment, Inc. and J.K. Rowling (“Warner Bros.” and “J.K. Rowling”) for the infringement of ... Read More...
First Circuit Lifts Trademark Injunction to Make Way for Super Duck By Miriam Weiler — Edited by Evie Breithaupt Boston Duck Tours v. Super Duck Tours First Circuit, June 18th, 2008, Nos. 07-2078, 07-2246 Slip Opinion On June 18, the First Circuit lifted a preliminary injunction granted by the District Court of Massachusetts, which had enjoined Super Duck Tours, LLC (“Super Duck”) from using the phrase “duck tours” in its trade name and the cartoon of a duck in its ... Read More...
