Events

The speaker will discuss the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Iancu v. Brunetti, where the Court held that the federal trademark law banning registration of immoral and scandalous marks is a viewpoint-discriminatory regulation of expression that violates the First Amendment. This conclusion was not surprising given the fact that the Court held in 2017 in Matal v. Tam that a similar law denying registration to potentially disparaging marks was an unconstitutional regulation of the viewpoint of expression. While some commentators believe that Tam and Brunetti require the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register expression that is hateful, profane, vulgar, or otherwise offensive, trademark applicants still need to prove that their marks are distinctive and function as trademarks that identify a single source of goods or services. Thus, such marks may be refused registration on lack of distinctiveness or failure to function grounds. Moreover, the Justices suggested that Congress could draft a more narrow provision that would survive First Amendment scrutiny, such as a law banning registration of expression that is obscene, vulgar, or profane.

Have you ever considered becoming a NFL Players Association certified agent? If you've been interested in helping NFL players and prospects through contract negotiations, getting certified and passing the tests involved is your first step. Marcus Wiggins, NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor, is here to walk you through the process and give you tips on what you'll need to understand in order to properly advise players.

As Optivo, the world renowned anti-cancer drug, was developed by Tasuku Honjyo, the Nobel laureate, in 2017, R&D on antibody drugs has come to draw more attention than ever. In light of Japanese patent practice, pharmaceutical companies and research institutes face new challenges on the scope of patent protection when filing applications related to antibody drug patents. In his presentation, Dr. Iida will provide a brief outline of the patent practice related to antibody drugs and how you can prepare your specification to cover a broad scope of protection in Japan.

Elliott Gold will discuss the recent changes to Canadian trademark legislation including, Canada’s recent adherence to the Madrid Protocol, the Adoption of the Nice Classification system, recommended steps for U.S. trademark applicants, tips for IP due diligence investigations for Canadian transactions, Canadian and Global Brand Protection and border enforcement strategies.

This webinar offers the latest developments involving Section 285, covering cases in which attorneys’ fees were awarded based on (1) pre-litigation investigation and (2) PTAB filings, and cases granting fees before the Court of Federal Claims and denying fees on appeal.