Remove Fair Use Remove False Advertising Remove Reporting
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using competitor's images in comparative advertising is fair use even when appearance isn't being compared

43(B)log

The parties had other disputes, including accusing each other of posting false reviews of the other. IDT removed its “Made in USA” advertising in the first 8 months of 2022, and its on-line sales increased during that time period. The ads used the entire images. There’s more, including public disputes on Craigslist.

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Using dominant competitor's part names/numbers for comparison isn't false advertising, TM infringement, or (c) infringement

43(B)log

15, 2023) Simpson sued its competitor MiTek for using Simpson part numbers for structural connectors/fasteners for use in the construction industry in its catalogs/other promotional material; the court here, after a nonjury trial before the magistrate judge, rather comprehensively rejects its false advertising, trademark, and copyright claims. (It

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Trademark law and LinkedIn resumes: watch out?

43(B)log

Maybe companies can resurrect noncompetes by prohibiting uses of their trademarks in former employees’ resumes! Portkey sued for unfair competition/reverse passing off, false advertising, and trademark infringement under the Lanham Act, as well as related state-law claims. Venkateswaran, 2024 WL 3487735, No.

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comparison charts might infringe if lacking a disclaimer

43(B)log

24, 2022) This seems like a silly result to me, shifting the burden to comparative advertisers, but it's often much harder to get summary judgment in a trademark case than in comparable cases. PennEngineering claims a PEM family of marks and sued Peninsula for trademark infringement, counterfeiting, false advertising, and unfair competition.

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Court accepts survey with disclaimer control that causes 38% confusion

43(B)log

But that would run up against a strong preference for truthful speech, especially if the alternative seems to be that PNC can control what apps its customers can use. He explained the internal testing in his expert report, with detailed descriptions, and he applied scientific principles to the data, including in his visualizations.

Brands 52
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Former distributor's continuing use of "authorized distributor" leads to TM and false advertising claims

43(B)log

but also narrows the issues somewhat; the larger infringement, cybersquatting, and false advertising claims can’t be resolved on summary judgment. Even if they were generic uses, two articles and one opinion weren’t sufficient to overcome the “strong presumption” of validity of a registered mark. But is it a nominative fair use?

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TIL: “Texas Tamale” Is an Enforceable Trademark–Texas Tamale v. CPUSA2

Technology & Marketing Law Blog

Among other limits, the court refuses to enjoin the defendants’ keyword ad buys, though the restriction applies to trademark references in the ad copy: District courts in the Fifth Circuit have held that “in and of itself—using a competitor’s trademark as a Google AdWords or keyword does not constitute trademark infringement.”

Trademark 129