In a federal courtroom in Oakland, California, the commercial future of an $18 billion company hung in the balance over a single word. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found herself presiding over one of the most significant trademark disputes in the artificial intelligence era, as Perplexity AI fought to keep calling its revolutionary browser “Comet” against … Read more
Picture this: a $50 billion stablecoin giant squares off against a quirky memecoin worth less than half a million dollars. What’s the smaller player’s defense? “We are literally just a circle.” Welcome to the latest trademark dispute shaking the cryptocurrency world, where Circle Internet Group has taken legal action against the memecoin “Just A Circle” … Read more
Walk through any shopping center, watch a delivery truck roll down your street, or simply glance at the products in your home, and you’ll encounter dozens of trademarked colors without realizing it. That specific shade of brown on the UPS truck, the robin’s egg blue of a Tiffany box, the bright magenta of T-Mobile’s branding. … Read more
Federal Judge Louis L. Stanton delivered a swift blow to rapper T.I.’s latest film project on July 9, 2025, barring him from using the title “Situationships” for his upcoming comedy. The preliminary injunction came just months after T.I. and his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris celebrated a $71 million victory in their own intellectual property lawsuit … Read more
The $118 Lululemon hoodie and the $8 Costco lookalike sitting side-by-side on a TikTok screen represent more than a price comparison. They’re the front lines of a legal battle that could reshape how every business protects its brand in the age of viral dupes. In July 2025, Lululemon filed a federal lawsuit against Costco that … Read more
When Target filed 525 trademark applications in 2024, the retail giant didn’t just break records. It sent a clear message about the future of brand protection. No other U.S. company came close to matching this trademark activity, surpassing even traditional intellectual property powerhouses in technology and entertainment. This isn’t just about one retailer’s legal strategy. … Read more
When Keystone Alternatives chose “goPSUrv.com” as their domain name, they thought they’d found the perfect way to target Penn State football fans looking for RV rentals. Six years later, they’re handing over that domain to the university, destroying all their marketing materials, and admitting to willful trademark infringement. Here’s how a seemingly clever business decision … Read more
In April 2025, a trademark dispute erupted that perfectly illustrates the David vs. Goliath battles small businesses face in protecting their brand identity. Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company, filed a petition asking the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the trademark registration of Seattle Strong, a cold brew company that started … Read more
Even a $6.5 billion deal between tech giants can be brought to a halt by a trademark dispute. OpenAI and legendary (former) Apple designer Jony Ive just learned this lesson the hard way when a federal judge ordered them to stop marketing their new AI hardware venture due to trademark infringement claims from a competing … Read more
In the rapidly evolving world of financial technology, timing isn’t just everything. It’s the difference between securing your competitive advantage and watching competitors claim the digital territory you pioneered. JPMorgan Chase’s recent trademark filing for “JPMD” offers valuable lessons in intellectual property protection that every business operating in the fintech space should study carefully. On … Read more
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese has turned social media mockery into a potential six-figure business opportunity by filing a trademark application for “Mebounds” – a term originally coined by critics to describe her tendency to rebound her own missed shots. The move demonstrates a masterclass in brand protection strategy that every business owner can learn … Read more
The entertainment industry was recently shaken by a high-profile trademark infringement lawsuit that demonstrates how even established creators can find themselves in costly legal disputes when proper trademark protections aren’t secured. Tyler Perry, along with Netflix and actress Terri J. Vaughn, faces a federal lawsuit over the title and content of their 2025 comedy series … Read more
What started as a clever pun for an Ohio food truck has become a federal trademark battlefield that every business owner should understand. On June 3, 2025, Kellogg North America Co. LLC filed a comprehensive trademark lawsuit against a small hibachi operation called “L’eggo My Eggroll,” transforming what might have seemed like harmless wordplay into … Read more
Your brand name is your business identity – but what happens when that carefully chosen name becomes legally unprotectable? A recent decision from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board demonstrates how a seemingly clever product name can become a business owner’s worst nightmare. In Shenzhen Tianjian Business Co. v. Shenzhen Ruiquansheng Technology Co., the USPTO’s trademark … Read more
In a smart business move that underscores the importance of proactive trademark protection, Britney Spears has officially filed a trademark for her upcoming jewelry line “B Tiny” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The filing, submitted on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, represents more than just paperwork—it’s a masterclass in how celebrities and entrepreneurs … Read more
Tesla’s ambitious plans for autonomous vehicle domination just hit an unexpected legal roadblock. In May 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rejected Tesla’s trademark application for “Robotaxi,” calling the term “merely descriptive” and too generic for trademark protection. This rejection serves as a perfect case study in what happens when even tech … Read more