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When people think about IP, they often envision tech companies, software developers, and research and development labs—not construction companies. In reality, most companies, including those in construction, manage far more IP than they may realize. From brand identity to proprietary building methods, these assets can be as valuable as cranes, trucks, or tools, and, like any asset, they need protection.

Below are key areas where construction companies should take a closer look at how they manage and protect their

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Continue Reading Why Construction Companies Must Protect Their Intellectual Property Now

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to be the largest tournament in history, businesses across the United States, Canada, and Mexico are preparing marketing campaigns designed to capitalize on the excitement surrounding the event. However, before incorporating World Cup-themed branding into advertisements, promotions, or social media content, businesses should understand that FIFA aggressively protects its intellectual property rights.

FIFA owns an extensive portfolio of trademarks, copyrights, and other intellectual property associated with the tournament, including official names, logos,…
Continue Reading Avoid the Red Card: What Businesses Need to Know About FIFA’s Intellectual Property Rules During the 2026 World Cup

It’s springtime. According to my inbox, graphic designers consider this the best of times to “refresh” your logo.

Cool.

Before relegating the old, though, consider the trademark implications.

United States trademark registrations can be “standard character” — which means the registration covers words in the mark regardless of how they are depicted visually — or, they can be “design” registrations. That means the registration covers only the particular design as depicted in the original drawing file.

And US trademark…
Continue Reading How the ‘Logo Refresh’ Can Wreck Your Trademark

AI copyright and law concept with magnifying glass and wooden blocks
Magnifying glass and wooden blocks with AI chip copyright and justice scale icons representing artificial intelligence copyright ethics and legal regulation concept

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a part of the tools we use every day. AI can be found on our computers, our phones, our cars, and beyond. As AI systems grow more advanced, it becomes increasingly appealing to rely on them to generate content, ideas, and even finished works with little to no human input. But as AI takes on more of the creative process, a critical question emerges: what happens to the role of human authorship? When…
Continue Reading AI Made It. Now Who Owns It?

Among a company’s most valuable assets is its intellectual property (IP). Though often intangible, IP—innovations, concepts, designs, processes, and more—offers companies a competitive edge in the marketplace. Protecting these assets is essential for safeguarding revenue, accelerating growth, and preventing competitors from gaining an unfair advantage—and your employees can be an inside threat.

During our recent webcast, we examined how employment practices intersect with IP protection and what employers need to keep in mind. Key insights from this presentation include:…
Continue Reading Managing IP Risks Through the Employment Lifecycle

trademark
trademark

A trademark (or service mark) is something (really, anything) that helps your customers find you for what you sell. It helps them refer you to their friends so they find you, too. That means it has be able to be remembered and identified later as that. The fancy term is that it is “an indicator of source.” I know that that thing bearing that trademark came from the same people who made the last thing that I saw bearing…
Continue Reading What is a Trademark?

Sit spin. Man figure skating in action on dark background. Sports banne
Sit spin. Man figure skating in action on dark background. Sports banner. Horizontal copy space background

When most of us think about figure skating at the Winter Olympic Games, we picture elite athletes, dramatic performances, and unforgettable routines. However, in recent years, an important issue has emerged: complex copyright disputes.

For decades, copyright music licensing was rarely an issue in competitive skating. This is because the International Skating Union (ISU) prohibited music with lyrics, and most classical compositions used by skaters were in the public domain. This changed in 2014 when the ISU relaxed…
Continue Reading Skating on Thin Ice: Copyright Challenges at the Winter Olympics

The Copyright Office has implemented a new registration option called Group Registration of Two-Dimensional Artwork (GR2D). It may be used to register between two and twenty works of two-dimensional art.
There are requirements:
1. The works must all have been published within the same calendar year  (make sure you get advice about what “publication” means under US copyright law)
2. The works must be eligible types of artwork. Check that list carefully; many types of visual art cannot…
Continue Reading Copyright: New Group Registration Option for 2D Artwork

Securing a federal trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is one of the most exciting and valuable steps a new business can take to protect its brand identity. The USPTO trademark application process is not always intuitive, especially when it comes to evaluating whether another business is already using a similar mark in commerce. It is important for prospective applicants to understand how the trademark application process works in order to prevent costly surprises down…
Continue Reading Navigating the USPTO Trademark Application Process: Is It Worth the Risk?

AI copyright and law concept with magnifying glass and wooden blocks
Magnifying glass and wooden blocks with AI chip copyright and justice scale icons representing artificial intelligence copyright ethics and legal regulation concept

More and more, I hear some version of the same question from business owners: “We made something valuable with the help of AI. Can we protect it?”

Sometimes the “something” is obvious, like marketing copy, a logo, a photo, a product description, a training guide, or software code. Sometimes it is less obvious but more important, like a pricing model, a customer segmentation strategy, an internal workflow, or a set of prompts that reliably produces good results for the…
Continue Reading Protecting AI-Influenced Work: Why Copyright and Patents Can Fall Short, and Why Trade Secrets Often Matter More

Closeup of Vote by Mail envelope
Closeup of a Vote by Mail envelope, official balloting material - business reply mail, USPS first class mail.

In August of this year, the US Post Office announced a new rule that included without much fanfare a MAJOR change in when letters are postmarked. Under this new rule, most letters will no longer be postmarked on the day the letter is received by a post office but instead postmarked a day later when the letter is processed at a regional mail processing facility.
It is important that mailers understand the distinction between the date when the Postal…
Continue Reading Postmark changes at the Post Office and late mail

If you’re in a rush, that title is all you need to know.

If you crave explanation, here it is.

One does not “copyright” (verb) one’s work. Copyright rights attach automatically, when sufficiently original works of authorship are fixed in tangible media of expression. That is, for example, when the poem is written on paper; the paint is applied to canvas; the recording or photograph is fixed in a digital file; the training materials are typed into Word or…
Continue Reading Copyright Is Not A Verb

Technology companies are facing a series of lawsuits alleging copyright infringement.
Throughout our Artificial Intelligence 101 blog series, we’ve discussed the hypothetical legal troubles Generative AI can cause. To wrap things up, our final blog post is an overview of the many pending lawsuits that could decide the legal future of Generative AI.

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is likely the most well-known company in the field of Generative AI technology. This recognition, however, has resulted in numerous…
Continue Reading Generative Artificial Intelligence 101: Copyright Infringement Lawsuits Ahead for Tech Companies

When a fantastic trademark dispute arises, especially one involving superheroes, this trademark attorney cannot help but blog about it. The nature of this particular trademark dispute is epic, perhaps rising to the level worthy of a superhero blockbuster (or maybe that’s just this attorney’s trademark geekdom talking). In either event, like many legal disputes, this trademark dispute has several moving parts and has thus far spanned several proceedings. In short, it is complicated. With that in mind, it makes…
Continue Reading SUPER BABIES vs. Other SUPER Trademarks

As the father of a three year old boy, I spend… more time than I would like in public bathrooms. When you’re three, public bathrooms are a real place of wonder. Questions abound: Is there a “stand-up potty?” Is the paper towel machine automatic? What about the sink and soap dispenser, are they automatic too? And why can’t you touch anything in the stall? (Because people are disgusting, that’s why.)
A Legal Curiosity

On my fifth trip to the…
Continue Reading The Curious Case of ‘Healthy Soap®’

Many bar and restaurant owners are aware of the need to enter into licensing agreements for the music they play over the speakers in their establishments. But with shrinking profit margins due in part to rising food and labor costs, music licenses often get put on the back burner, which could create problems down the road. If an establishment inadvertently lets a license lapse, the establishment could end up facing a lawsuit—the last thing any bar or restaurant owner…
Continue Reading When It’s Time to Pay the Piper: Music Licenses and Copyright Infringement