The Nintendo Switch has been a solid success, selling nearly five million units since its March 2017 release, but one company claims that Nintendo’s hybrid handheld/console gaming device is illegally infringing on its patents. [More]
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Photographer Sues Forever 21, Urban Outfitters Over Tupac T-Shirt
By 6.2.17 — Updated: 6.9.17
Urban Outfitters and Forever 21 are not strangers to lawsuits claiming they’ve stolen designs or elements of designs from others in order to make sales: from textile designs to ornaments. Now, the two retailers are facing a lawsuit together, after a celebrity photographer claimed the companies illegally used photographs he took of Tupac Shakur on T-shirts. [More]
Navajo Nation, Urban Outfitters Settle Lawsuit Over Clothing Designs
By 11.18.16
Urban Outfitters is no stranger to accusations that it’s ripped off designs belonging to others, or offended an entire culture with its clothing, but it can now put one more of those claims behind it after settling a lawsuit brought by the Navajo Nation in 2012. [More]
Artist Sees Her Own Adorable Dog Drawings On Kohl’s Products, Sues
By 10.4.16 — Updated: 10.5.16
Do the little Boston terriers on these pajamas and socks from department store Kohl’s look familiar? They should: you may have seen them on your Facebook feed, posted as a public service announcement by a dog-loving friend. Or maybe you’ve seen a strikingly similar dog the last time you shopped at Kohl’s, on some super cute pajamas and socks. Here’s the thing: the artist didn’t authorize that use of her drawings. [More]
Artist Claims Lane Bryant Ripped Off Her Work For T-Shirt Design
By 9.16.16
Here we go again: another retailer accused of ripping off yet another independent artist without permission, and without offering any kind of payment. This time, a T-shirt sold by Lane Bryant is at the center of the brouhaha. [More]
East Coast Chain Tasty Burger Says Chipotle’s Tasty Made Is Ripping Off Its Name & Logo
By 8.8.16
While there may be some Chipotle customers who are excited to try the company’s new burger concept, dubbed Tasty Made, there’s at least one party that’s not so jazzed: an East Coast burger business called Tasty Burger that claims Chipotle is ripping off its name and logo. [More]
Independent Artist Claims Zara Is Ripping Off Designs From Her Online Store
By 7.21.16
We’ve seen it before, many times, and we’ll no doubt see it in the future: another independent artist is pointing the finger at a major retailer this week for allegedly ripping off designs from her online store to make its own products. [More]
Nespresso Suing Coffee Competitor For Using George Clooney Doppelgänger In Ads
By 1.21.16
There is only one actor named George Clooney shilling for an espresso company, and Nespresso wants to make sure consumers know he’s only working for them: the company’s Israel arm is suing a rival for using an actor who looks somewhat like the salt-and-pepper Clooney in ads, claiming it’ll confuse customers. [More]
Beyoncé, Jay Z, Others Claim Retailer Is Selling Products Bearing Their Likenesses Without Permission
By 10.8.15
When you’re as famous as Beyoncé, Jay Z, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams or Rihanna, your face is literally your fortune — and fans are most definitely willing to pay to get a piece of their favorite artists. That’s why those musicians are jointly suing a Paris clothing company, alleging that it’s been peddling products using their likenesses without having the right to do so. [More]
Court Says The Batmobile Is Special Enough To Get Copyright Protection
By 9.23.15
When someone mentions the Batmobile, do you pause and say, “Hold on — which Batmobile? Batman’s car or just like another car that’s shaped like a bat, has crime-fighting technology and ferries around a caped crusader?” Probably not, because everyone knows what the Batmobile is and who it belongs to. That entitles it to copyright protection, the 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals said on Wednesday, affirming a district court’s judgment in a copyright and trademark infringement action brought by DC Comics against a maker of Batmobile replicas. [More]
Adidas Lawsuit Claims Skechers Ripped Off Its Popular “Stan Smith” Shoe Design
By 9.16.15
Adidas is suing fellow shoe peddlers Skechers, claiming in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday that Skechers’ “Onix” sneaker rips off the design of its “Stan Smith” shoe. [More]
Company Behind Fruit Stripe Gum Suing E-Cig Company Over Vape Flavor
By 7.13.15
If you’re the kind of person who favors fruity flavors in your e-cigarette, hey, that’s your choice. But Ferrara Candy doesn’t to be tied to any flavor of vape liquid, and is suing an online e-cig company claiming it infringed on its trademark for Fruit Stripe gum with one of its offerings. [More]
Barefoot Contessa Suing California Company Over Unauthorized “Contessa Chef Inspired” Frozen Dinners
By 2.18.15
Having a famous brand might sound pretty awesome, but with a name everyone recognizes comes the hassle of trying to protect that name from others out there trying to make a buck off it. Food Network host Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa, is preparing to do battle to keep her brand her own, suing a California company for selling what she calls unauthorized look-alikes of her frozen dinners. [More]
NFL Players’ Lawsuit Over Use Of Their Avatars In EA’s Madden Games Gets The Go Ahead
By 1.7.15
It isn’t just former college football players upset with video-game maker Electronic Arts for using their likenesses in games without getting paid for it: A federal appeals court judge has just given another lawsuit against EA the go-ahead, this one brought by former NFL players who are ticked off that EA used their avatars in the Madden NFL series without proper compensation. [More]
Turkish Hair Removal Company “Didn’t Know” Guy In Its Ad Is Former Al-Qaeda Leader
By 11.6.14
Not everythigng on the Internet is a case of “what you see is what you get.” Because while yes, a Turkey-based company did, in fact, feature a photo of a rather hirsute man in its ad for hair removal products, it says it “didn’t know” that the fellow is a former Al-Qaeda leader and accused terrorist. [More]
Converse Suing 31 Companies For Allegedly Selling Knock-Off Chuck Taylor Sneakers
By 10.15.14
You’ve seen them on hipsters, your mom, that girl who lived down the hall from you freshman year, maybe you wear them — the point is, Converse’s Chuck Taylor All-Stars, or Chucks, as they’re known by fans, are worn by a whole lot of different kinds of people. Though once the shoe of choice for mainly greasers, nonconformists and athletes, nowadays the sneaker look is appealing to a wide range of people. It’s that popularity that has other companies churning out knock-offs, claims Nike’s Converse in a new lawsuit against 31 companies for allegedly copying the style. [More]
OK Go Claims Apple Stole Its Music Video Concept To Kick Off iPhone 6 Event
By 9.11.14
In the video “Perspective” used by Apple to kick off its event unveiling the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch earlier this week, the company encourages people to “see things differently.” But the band OK Go — known for its colorful, quirky (I can use that word whenever I want, legally) music videos — says Apple saw things pretty much exactly the same way as it did when the group first pitched a video concept to the company last April. [More]
Artist Claims Pet Toy Company Made Millions Off Her “Angry Birds” Design Without Paying Her
By 8.5.14
A Seattle artist who designed a line of plush pet toys called “Angry Birds” back in 2006 is now suing the company that sold them, claiming it cut her out of the process — and millions of dollars — when it licensed the design to the makers of the popular Angry Birds game. [More]
