Trademarks get denied for all manner of reasons. In some cases, the government determines that the person who filed for a mark has actually stolen their design from someone else. In other cases, another party simply applied for the trademark first. The list goes on and on.
The real value of an idea
When your intellectual property is stolen, it's your very idea that is being taken by someone else.
Protecting trade secrets in the tech industry
For years, protecting trade secrets has been one of the lesser-known aspects of intellectual property law and never received as much attention as trademark, patent and copyright protection. However, in an increasingly fast-paced digital world, protecting trade secrets has become vital. In fact, the current U.S. administration has cracked down on Chinese companies stealing U.S. trade secrets, even banning U.S. companies from making deals with Chinese tech giant Huawei claiming the company is a threat to national security.
Self-published romance novels see rising plagiarism
Romance novels are very popular, making billions of dollars every year. More and more often, these novels are getting self-published. Companies like Amazon make it very easy for people to upload their books, covers and other information, giving them the freedom to publish whatever they want -- that fits within the guidelines -- and market it as they see fit.
When you have to share trade secrets with vendors
Often, the key to keeping trade secrets is simply to restrict the number of people who have access to them in the first place. Some companies are famous for keeping their recipes and formulas confined to one or two individuals. This way, even if an employee wanted to leak the secrets, they'd have no way to do so. It does not take nearly as much loyalty to avoid an issue.
Trademark lawsuit targets THC-infused Sour Patch Kids copy
A lawsuit that started in California in the middle of July targets a brand called Stoney Patch. The company makes gummy candies that are infused with THC. While making edible marijuana-based products is nothing new, the lawsuit alleges that the company essentially copied the popular Sour Patch Kids, which are a gummy candy aimed at children.
