Offensive Trademark Ban Going Down? It Probably Should

Publisher: Law360

September 29, 2016

Carrie Webb Olson, chair of Day Pitney's trademark practice group, was quoted in an article, "Offensive Trademark Ban Going Down? It Probably Should" in Law360. In the article, Olson discussed the importance of the U.S. Supreme Court recently granting certiorari to consider whether to strike down the federal government's ban on offensive trademarks. Olson said she hoped the justices would agree with the Federal Circuit, which declared the Lanham Act's ban on "disparaging" trademark registration violates the First Amendment. The government's defense against First Amendment accusations has been that denying someone a registration doesn't really cause them much harm. Olson, however, said registration is important. "The USPTO seems to be taking the position that a registration is just a piece of paper with only a few small benefits, so losing it isn't that big of a deal," Olson said. "But it is a big deal. You're really a second-class citizen as an unregistered trademark owner."

On May 19, Partner Jonathan Handler moderated a virtual book talk for the Massachusetts Chapter of the Federal Bar Association with Professor Jeff Kosseff, author of The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet.

May 19, 2021

Webinar

Shouting FIRE! (or Worse) on Social Media: The Interplay of the First Amendment and Government Involvement in Efforts to Limit or Remove Social Media Content

March 29, 2021

Partners Kevin J. Duffy and Richard H. Brown authored the article, "Shouting FIRE! (or Worse) on Social Media: The Interplay of the First Amendment and Government Involvement in Efforts to Limit or Remove Social Media Content," which was published in the Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal.

Tracy Friedenberg Co-Presents Tips for Project Managers

On August 27, Tracy Friedenberg, Director of Technical Services & Project Management, co-presented "The Accidental Project Manager: Tools & Methodologies to Help You Succeed" at this year's ILTA>ON2020.

September 2, 2020

Ethical Issues in Intellectual Property Lawyering FCBA Webinar

Valeriya Svystun will serve on the panel for the Fairfield County Bar Association webinar, "Ethical Issues in Intellectual Property Lawyering."

July 27, 2020

Trademark and Patent Law Overview

April 13, 2020

NFL names local lawyer Christopher Droney league arbitrator. The former federal judge will settle all salary, contract disputes

June 8, 2021

The Hartford Courant profiled Christopher Droney’s appointment as the NFL’s league arbitrator, a position in which he is responsible for resolving all contractual employment and salary disputes between players and the league.

Professional Excellence in Law Awards: Rhode Island Monthly

2021

George N. Chaclas was honored with a Rhode Island Monthly Professional Excellence in Law Award for 2021 for Intellectual Property Rights.

Loni Sherwin, BlackRock: How Loni Sherwin Makes Sense of the Data

May 31, 2021

Firm client Loni Sherwin, BlackRock’s Vice President and Legal Counsel, was featured in Profile Magazine.

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s New Associations Column

May 29, 2021

The arrival of George Chaclas as a new patent prosecution partner at Day Pitney was featured in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s New Associations column.

Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly's New Associations Column

May 21, 2021

George Chaclas' arrival as a new patent prosecution partner at Day Pitney and the firm's announced upcoming merger with Howland Evangelista Kohlenberg LLP were featured in Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly's New Associations column.