Intellectual Property Law

Disney's new three-year licensing deal with OpenAI, allowing Sora to generate short social videos and ChatGPT Images to create stills featuring over 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters, is a landmark moment for IP in Generative AI. Read more

ICANN published the official Applicant Guidebook for the New gTLD Program: 2026 Round, expected to open to receive applications on 30 April 2026. The guidebook is the authoritative manual for any entity – brands, communities, cities – that wants to apply for a gTLD. Read more

I hope your December season was filled with family, friends, snuggly pets, and deadline extension agreements. Read more

Did You Miss the EPO Month Webinar Series? Don't worry! You can catch all of the panels in our EPO Month Webinar Bundle! Buy the entire bundle now for our members-only price of $150. Offer ends 3/31/2026. On Demand CLE2Go Only interested in certain webinars? Purchase the individual webinars below! Be Clear, Technical, & Directly and Unambiguously Derivable: Drafting for Successful EPO Prosecution A presentation from European Patent Office Director Gerry van Dooren, followed by a conversation with our Moderator,… Read more

Buy the entire bundle now for our members-only price of $150. Offer ends 3/31/2026. Read more

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving week, filled with all the food you never wanted to eat in one sitting (and which you took to regretting the next day, just like last year).  I myself was lucky enough to attend a 3 Tofurkeys and a Turkey celebration, and I intend to wear elastic pants, whenever possible through December. Read more

Judge Christopher Larkin provided an in-depth update on current operations, recent developments, and best practices at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). He began with a reminder of the Board’s role—deciding only the right to obtain or maintain a registration with limited remedies available. Read more

Dan Vavonese opened the session with an overview of the challenges overcome in FY25, noting that the USPTO Trademark Office has been able to meet and exceed its goals. Staffing has remained steady despite the federal hiring freeze. Read more

Jennifer Lantz and Rob Wallace discussed how trademark surveys function in litigation, exploring the different types of surveys practitioners use, the standards courts apply when deciding whether to admit them, and the best practices attorneys should follow when designing surveys. Read more

Ted Davis and John Welch presented a review of trademark developments over the past year, covering federal court decisions and TTAB proceedings. Ted Davis discussed trademark protection for Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), trade dress pleading requirements, what constitutes actionable “use in commerce” under the Lanham Act, and the fading of the Dawn Donut Doctrine. Read more