California Intellectual Property Blog

San Diego – Amazon has recently been awarded a patent which details how robots might one day deliver packages to your front door.  The patent reveals how a self-driving vehicle with a robot on board along with multiple boxes in protective compartments would be programmed to travel into a residential area to make multiple deliveries.  It is also confirmed that the robot would also be able to pick up items for return, too.  <!–more–>

The patents fits into an Amazon patent portfolio which includes patents for drone deliveries and automated grocery stores that automatically check you out as you leave the store.

With t Read the rest

Los Angeles – Tesla has filed a patent application related to mounting lasers on vehicles. The proposed laser on future Tesla products would remove debris from any glass surface on the vehicle.

The idea behind the patent holds a lot of potential value. Vehicles, especially Tesla vehicles, are being equipped with more glass products than in the past. It’s not just the windshield and windows anymore. Modern vehicles have a glass windshield, windows, on cameras, in solar panels, etc. The more technology that is added to cars, the more glass is going to play a role in the design.

Tesla’s proposed patent is suggesting that Read the rest

Orange County – Daniel Jones, former Duke quarterback and now the rookie quarterback for the New York Giants, has filed a trademark application for the nickname “Danny Dimes.”  <!–more–>

Daniel Jones became the No. 6 overall pick this year with many criticizing the selection as a reach. Once on the field however, Jones almost immediately showed that the Giants made the correct selection.  Jones played well immediately in the preseason and into the season to the point that the Giants benched Eli Manning and inserted Jones as the starter.  Jones’ play has led to an increase in demand for New York Giants and Read the rest

San Diego – A Florida-based chapter of The Society of Professional Journalists has attempted to trademark the term “Fake News” to stop President Donald Trump from using it. The apparent concern is that the term has been used to discredit legitimate news stories and demean journalists.

There has been a general distrust directed toward the field of journalism since the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency. A spike was seen in these behaviors when Donald Trump began making claims about “Fake News” indiscriminately. Since Donald Trump has taken over as President, the website Factba.se was launched to track all of the Read the rest

Los Angeles – Ohio State University has been calling itself “The” Ohio State University for quite some time. “The” appears on all published materials, such as the school’s seal, logos, and most of their promotional material. Recently the college decided to take the next step with “The” by filing a trademark application – for that word alone.

And so in the beginning of August, Ohio State filed U.S. Trademark Application Serial number 88571984 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to trademark perhaps the most familiar three-letter word in the English language – The.

“The Read the rest

Orange County – Taco Tuesday is a day that many look forward to. LeBron James in particular has been very enthusiastic about Taco Tuesday in recent months. LeBron often uses the term on Instagram to share with his followers when it is his family’s designated taco night. LeBron seems to enjoy the day so much that on August 15, 2019 he filed a trademark application for Taco Tuesday. However, on September 11, 2019, the United States Patent and Trademark office (USPTO) issued an office action refusing the application.

LeBron filed the trademark application through a company called LBJ Trademarks, LLC. The application seeks prote Read the rest

San Diego – Six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady of the New England Patriots has failed in his attempt to trademark the nickname “Tom Terrific.” While Mr. Brady believed that the outcome would be in his favor, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) denied his request. It was revealed that the USPTO denied Tom Brady’s request because the nickname was already associated with Tom Seaver, the former pitcher for the New York Mets.

The USPTO stated that it denied the application because the “Tom Terrific” nickname would falsely suggest a connection between Mr. Seaver and Mr. Brady. The USPTO stressed tha Read the rest

Los Angeles – Mondelez Canada Inc., the creator of the sour gummy candy Sour Patch Kids, has filed a trademark lawsuit against an apparent knockoff called “Stoney Patch”. While Sour Patch Kids are clearly for kids, Stoney Patch is THC-infused candy. Mondelez also takes issue with the fact that the Stoney Patch brand gummies share a striking resemblance to their Sour Patch Kids.

This lawsuit highlights a disturbing trend among THC-infused edible food companies which are creating edibles that are packaged in a way that makes them appear to be candy. In the complaint that Mondelez filed with the US District Court for Read the rest

Los Angeles – The historical names that once were a part of Yosemite National Park, such as the Ahwahnee Hotel and Curry Village, are being brought back to their former glory following a legal settlement in a lengthy trademark lawsuit.

Delaware North registered trademarks for the names of the historic sites within Yosemite National Park during its 25-year run as the park’s former concessionaire. Recently to end litigation regarding alleged trademark infringement after Yosemite changed to a new concessionaire, Delaware North agreed to relinquish the claimed ownership of the trademarks for $12 Million.

The trademark Read the rest

Orange County – The use of the word “Prime” on Amazon’s trucks has led to a trademark infringement lawsuit. On July 2nd, 2019, a Missouri-based trucking company, Prime Inc., filed a lawsuit in federal court in the western district of Missouri.

Prime Inc. claims to have notified Amazon of the trademark infringement more than two years ago through written correspondence, as well as proceedings that Prime Inc. initiated through the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Amazon has continued to use the Prime markings on its trucks and other vehicles for commercial use. Prime is claiming that Amazon’s actions amo Read the rest