Internet Lawyer Blog» Trademarks

Brand Hijacking: Using Your Competitor’s Name In Google AdWords

Internet Lawyer — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 10:05:29 +0000

What’s happening with Brand Hijacking? Many have become both aware and concerned that Google AdWords and other pay-per-click (PCC) allows advertisers to take advantage of the names and identities of their competitors through brand hijacking. For example, Google AdWords allows advertisers to promote their website whenever a Google search includes words the advertiser chooses. As [...]

Brand Hijacking: Using Your Competitor’s Name In Google AdWords is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Brands Could Replace Dot Com Domain Names

Internet Lawyer — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:55:07 +0000

Why are there so few domain names to choose from? As it is now, few domain “good” dot com names exist for companies and individuals to choose from when creating a website because most of these .com domain names have been registered by others online. In other words, the .com suffix has been mined quite [...]

Brands Could Replace Dot Com Domain Names is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

New Apple Contest Rules for iPhone and iPad

Internet Lawyer — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 11:02:08 +0000

What are the new Apple Contest Rules? Apple has recently dictated several new rules regarding the usage of its products as online contest prizes. Meant to protect Apple’s image and to display products in the best possible light, these restrictions have been established despite much confusion and debate in hardware and software circles. Apple claims [...]

New Apple Contest Rules for iPhone and iPad is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

What the app war means to you

Internet Lawyer — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:07:36 +0000

This is something to talk about with your Internet lawyer if you’re dealing in computer applications or have trademark and service mark questions. There’s an app war going on right now and how it turns out can affect what you’ll be able to do with your business online. A few years ago, Apple applied for [...]

What the app war means to you is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Website attorney: Protecting your Internet goats

Internet Lawyer — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:26:07 +0000

As a website attorney and entrepreneur, I find that you can learn from offline businesses too. There’s a Wisconsin restaurant that’s protected its unique selling proposition (USP)…and it isn’t the pickled herring you can order off the menu. You eat at the restaurant so you can watch goats grazing on its grass-covered roof. What the [...]

Website attorney: Protecting your Internet goats is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Internet Lawyer: Are You An Accidental Internet Pirate?

Internet Lawyer — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:58:46 +0000

Although an Internet lawyer, I’m also a bit of a history buff. Think you’ll like this story… British pirate Captain Kidd accidentally killed himself and his “business” in the process. How did he do it? The government convinced him that if he quit his pirate ways and surrendered, Kidd would receive a full pardon for [...]

Internet Lawyer: Are You An Accidental Internet Pirate? is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Internet Attorney: Website Intellectual Property Infringement

Internet Lawyer — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:59:12 +0000

Based on what I’ve seen online as an Internet attorney, I have to ask…Is your website two tacos short of a Mexican combo platter? Back in the Stone Ages when I attending law school, there was an important U.S. Supreme Court decision about “borrowing” that involved two local Mexican restaurants. Two Pesos essentially copied Taco [...]

Internet Attorney: Website Intellectual Property Infringement is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Seth Godin Jumps the Shark

Internet Lawyer — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 06:19:43 +0000

From permission marketing fame to cyber greenmail shame, Seth Godin has finally jumped the shark. Spinning it as SEO reputation management is a kind way of describing this scam. What Godin has done is launched Brands in Public. Sounds innocent enough? Hardly. Godin has put together hundreds of Squidoo pages for companies with major brands. [...]

Seth Godin Jumps the Shark is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Facebook Usernames: Cybersquatting and Your Intellectual Property Rights

Internet Lawyer — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 14:39:23 +0000

There’s a bunch of Internet marketers whining because ambitious cybersquatters and affiliates took advantage of Facebook usernames’ land rush by claiming the names of famous Internet marketers and online brands as their Facebook usernames. I’m not condoning cybersquatters – just noting that it isn’t a big deal if you follow Facebook’s instructions. If you’re looking [...]

Facebook Usernames: Cybersquatting and Your Intellectual Property Rights is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Trademark Law: Trademarks and the Internet

Internet Lawyer — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:11:18 +0000

Simply because a trademark owner hasn’t used his trademark in a domain name, Facebook profile name, Twitter name, or other social media does not mean that you can grab the name and use it to drive traffic to your business. This is the same trademark infringement issue one sees where a business uses its competitor’s [...]

Trademark Law: Trademarks and the Internet is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Amazon Attacks AdWords: Paid Search Traffic Limited for Affiliates

Internet Lawyer — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 09:26:57 +0000

Effective May 1, 2009, Amazon.com won’t be paying its North American “Amazon Associates” (affiliates) referral fees for purchases generated by direct paid search traffic from search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN. This appears to be a crack down on affiliate advertising that in essence competes with Amazon’s own advertising campaigns. It probably relates as [...]

Amazon Attacks AdWords: Paid Search Traffic Limited for Affiliates is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Trademark Infringement: Do Website References and External Links Violate Intellectual Property Law?

Internet Lawyer — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:32:08 +0000

Mega law firm Jones Day reinforces prior statements that have been made about business attorneys who decide to wade into Internet law. Jones Day is allegedly suing website owners for trademark infringement because the site referred to the law firm without obtain permission and externally linked to the firm’s website. This is different than another [...]

Trademark Infringement: Do Website References and External Links Violate Intellectual Property Law? is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Bull Dozier? Internet Law Firm Doesn’t Want Name Used By Competitor

Internet Lawyer — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:24:49 +0000

The Dozier Internet law firm is interesting. (Disclosure: I’ve dealt with them on behalf of a client once and referred prospects to the firm several times). In the blogosphere, the firm has raised some hackles by purportedly claiming that viewing its site’s html code constitutes copyright infringement. In a new firestorm, the firm is suing [...]

Bull Dozier? Internet Law Firm Doesn’t Want Name Used By Competitor is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Logo Theft – What Should You Do?

Internet Lawyer — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 11:24:31 +0000

Like photos, sales copy, order buttons, etc., chances are your logo will either be ripped off by someone or you’ll get a claim one day that you stole someone else’s logo. Copying it is one thing. The gray area is where substantive changes have been made. On the funny side, Dogbert in the Dilbert comic [...]

Logo Theft – What Should You Do? is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

MoveOn.org Crushes Free Speech with Trademark Infringement Claims

Internet Lawyer — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 15:17:16 +0000

The moonbats at MoveOn.org support free speech only if it is a discounted full page ad in the New York Times where they smear a U.S. general as being a traitor. Overreaching with the smear, there has been grassroots opposition to it from all parts of the political spectrum…including entrepreneurs who have created t-shirts in [...]

MoveOn.org Crushes Free Speech with Trademark Infringement Claims is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Do Google Ad Keywords Violate Trademarks?

Internet Lawyer — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 14:30:48 +0000

American Airlines is suing Google, claiming trademark infringement because competitors are purchasing AA’s trademarks as keywords to drive traffic to their sites. These type of suits are common, a cost of doing business for Google. But the issue will remain unresolved as long as the courts are split as to whether the practice of using [...]

Do Google Ad Keywords Violate Trademarks? is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Domain Names and Internet Law – What You Should Know

Internet Lawyer — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 18:10:22 +0000

If you’re doing business on the web, chances are you have domain name legal issues that you don’t even know about. Here’s a related YouTube video that I created for you. It covers three key domain issues: 1. Registration and trademark infringement. 2. Actual domain name ownership. 3. Registration and hosting. Domain Names and Internet [...]

Domain Names and Internet Law – What You Should Know is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Second Life and the Virtual Bed Lawsuit

Internet Lawyer — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 17:45:55 +0000

Second Life is being used with mixed degrees of success for marketing by both big box retailers and small entrepreneurs. In the latter category, is the creator of a “virtual bed.” There’s now an infringement lawsuit based on the bed being stolen. We’re talking about the theft of a “bed” that exists only in a [...]

Second Life and the Virtual Bed Lawsuit is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Domain Names, Registration, and Trademarks

Internet Lawyer — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:31:25 +0000

Just a reminder that the ability to use something on the Internet doesn’t give you the legal right to do so. A newspaper publisher is suing two women for using the term “Leelanau pages” on websites because of alleged trademark infringement. No matter how this particular case turns out, there’s a key legal issue you [...]

Domain Names, Registration, and Trademarks is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog

Licensing Agreements Can Grow Your Business

Internet Lawyer — Tue, 08 May 2007 10:43:11 +0000

A license agreement is a contract in which one party grants another party permission to do something that would otherwise be illegal. These types of licenses are common for intellectual property protected by copyright, patent, or trademark. It can include a proprietary way of doing business, such as real estate investing or even operating a [...]

Licensing Agreements Can Grow Your Business is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet law attorney blog