JTIP Blog

In April 2023, drama unfolded on Twitter, and it revolved around olive oil. Andrew Benin, the co-founder of Graza, a start-up single-origin olive oil brand that comes in two adorable green squeeze bottles, publicly called out rival Brightland for allegedly copying his squeezable olive oil idea. Mr. Benin wrote, “While friendly competition was always welcome, […]

INTRODUCTION  Every day across the world many people, brands, and companies believe that their names are defamed, or trademarks have been infringed on. With over 440,000 US Trademark Applications filed in 2022 alone, disputes over these trademarks arise frequently. However, these quarrels are not always encircling such a large-scale platform like one of the highest […]

The advent of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology marks a new era in intellectual property law, presenting unprecedented challenges and opportunities. As these technologies evolve, their creations blur the lines between reality and fiction, escalating the risk of consumer deception and diluting brand values. Deepfakes, a fusion of the words ‘deep learning’ and […]

Background: Sephora and ModiFace  In a market filled with a mixture of new direct-to-consumer influencer brands gaining traction, brick and mortar drug stores providing cheaper options known as “dupes”, and high-end retailers investing in both their online and in stores, one major player dominates: Sephora. Founded in 1970, Sephora is a French multinational retailer of […]

Due to a shortage of mental health support, AI-enabled chatbots offer a promising way to help children and teenagers address mental health issues. Users often view chatbots as mirroring human therapists. However, unlike their human therapist counterparts, mental health chatbots are not obligated to report suspected child abuse. Legal obligations could potentially shift, necessitating technology […]

The monopolization of intellectual property (IP) in the video game industry has increasingly attracted attention as many antitrust-like issues have arisen. These issues are, however, not the prototypical issues that antitrust law is classically concerned with. Rather, supported by the United States’ IP system, video game publishers (VGPs) have appropriated video game IP to construct […]

Companies Face Massive Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Allegations with Virtual Try-On Technology  Virtual try-on technology (“VTOT”) allows consumers to use augmented reality (“AR”) to see what a retailer’s product may look like on their body. By providing the retailer’s website access to their device’s camera, consumers can shop and try on products from the […]

INTRODUCTION We live in an insatiable society. Across the globe, particularly in the United States, everyone with an Instagram account knows that the “phone eats first.” Young professionals rush to happy hour to post the obligatory cocktail cheers video before they take their first sip. On Friday nights, couples sprint to their favorite spot or […]

Introduction   In April 2022, someone paid $130,000 for a pair of Nike Dunks. Here’s the kicker – it was for a pair of virtual sneakers. Shelling out five to six figures for a pair of exclusive shoes is not rare in the sneaker world, but paying that much for a pair of virtual kicks is […]

In January 2022, after nearly one hundred years of copyright protection, Winnie-the-Pooh entered the public domain. This blog post will discuss copyright law’s grounding in the Constitution, the story of Winnie-the-Pooh’s copyright, and how the changing landscape of U.S. copyright law has affected this beloved story and the characters contained within it. Congress’ Power to […]

Introduction The Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization granted state legislatures the authority to regulate abortion. The Court’s decision quickly led states, such as Texas and Arkansas, to enact trigger bans for the procedure. Prior to the Court’s ruling, data brokers had already begun selling location data for individuals visiting abortion […]

In August 2022, over two and a half years after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Moderna sued Pfizer and BioNTech for patent infringement. Specifically, Moderna claimed that Pfizer and BioNTech used its patented mRNA technology to develop their Covid-19 vaccine. Covid’s swift, widespread, and devastating effects and the urgent need for a vaccine accelerated […]