Law and Innovation

For more than one hundred years, generations of FC Barcelona fans have witnessed amazing players wearing the famous Blaugrana shirt with garnet and blue vertical stripes. Adidas’s three-stripe mark is also particularly well-known among professional soccer players, fans, and consumers of soccer apparell. Over the years, the German company made headlines for filing a number of lawsuits in connection with its famous trademark; and this time, it’s against Futbol Club Barcelona! What’s the case all about? It’s not a secret, with football kit partnerships large sums of money are involved. On October 30, 2016, FC Barcelona ratified the record-breaking 10-year Nike kit deal, which is worth up to 155 million Euro annually from 2018. And guess what, the day after (on October 31) Adidas filed its opposition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). Coincidences of life or difference of opinion? Let’s take a closer look… Adidas has been for years (and still is) one ...

It's a good time to be a Star Wars fan! Not only the first new epic Lucasfilm 's spinoff Star Wars soon arrives in theaters (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”) but a new case involving Lucasfilm’s trademarks has been filed in California. The production company filed this action to protect against infringement of their intellectual property (IP) rights, including but not limited to their ownership of “Star Wars”, “Jedi”, “Lightsaber” trademarks, and the logo of the Jedi Order. Nearly 38 years after the original Star Wars movie hit the big screen, fans are still trying to use and feel the Force. Without success. In the meantime, Lucasfilm (owned by Disney) is engaged in the successful business of merchandising and licensing of distinctive characters and elements associated with their movies, and of course the protection of their IP rights. What’s the case all about? As you know, Lucasfilm owns several U.S trademarks, trade names, registrations, that incorporate and/or...