The internet is the main battlefield for copyright protection in China because of the large number of users, rich application of works and rapid growth of the digital economy, a senior official from the country's copyright authority said on Tuesday.[link]

Driven by user demand and technological innovation, Internet content platforms with abundant forms of communication and creative industries such as short video and stream have developed rapidly, which leads to a sharp growth of intellectual property disputes and increased difficulty in legal protection. [link]

China's heightened protection of intellectual property rights is part of its efforts to help businesses shore up their competitiveness and boost spending on research and development, rather than a result of pressure from other countries, industry experts and lawyers said.[link]

Popular music website Genius is suing Google and its partner LyricFind for copyright infringement. The website stated that Google copied music lyrics from Genius without proper permission and is now demanding $50 million in restitution.[link]

“I used to say that my dad invented the breakfast burrito,” Nick Maryol, owner of Tia Sophia’s restaurant in Santa Fe, told the Santa Fe New Mexican, “but he didn’t. You know, New Mexicans have been putting bacon and eggs and potatoes and cheese into tortillas and eating it forever: He was just the first to call it a breakfast burrito and put it on a menu in the ’70s.”[link]

There’s been a lot of talk lately of wrestlers filing trademarks. Cody has been trying to trademark every Dusty Rhodes creation that he can for quite some time. Luke Harper has recently filed a trademark for his old indy name, Brodie Lee, further making clear his intent to leave the WWE and work elsewhere. [link]

My company, Chestnut Hill Sound Inc. (ChillSound), has been victimized by a U.S. patent system that for nearly a decade has been in a sorry state. Changes wrought by the America Invents Act (AIA) in 2011 and other recent developments cost my company, its investors and inventors millions of dollars. [link]

It is not unusual for there to be unintended consequences in the law or life. A loved one gives you something you don’t really like, but you do such a good job of feigning happiness that it becomes a regular gift. [link]

RPX Corporation is seeking to hire a Senior Patent Engineer to join their Patent Analysis Department.  The position is a full-time, permanent position, located in San Francisco CA. [link]

Since inventors are rarely allowed to participate in patent discussions in Congress, I would like to submit my testimony here.Section 8, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution established a right. This right protects the fruits of intellectual labor in a similar way that property rights protect the fruits of physical labor.[link]

In order for rights in a trademark to persist, the mark must be used in commerce continuously. Wallack v. Idexx Labs., Inc., No. 11CV2996-GPC(KSC), 2015 WL 5943844, at *4 (S.D. Cal. Oct. 13, 2015). Abandonment of a mark is, therefore, an affirmative defense to a trademark infringement claim. [link]

This week in Washington, D.C., the Senate Subcommittee on Intellectual Property holds a hearing to look at ways to reduce the number of fraudulent trademark application filings that have been making their way to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. [link]

"The Guideline on Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights Protection", jointly issued by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, backs up a call for stronger IP protection with harsher punishments for infringements.[link]

Since the issuance by the United States Supreme Court of its opinion in Alice Corporation Pty Ltd. v. CLS Bank International, 573 U.S. 208, 134 S. Ct. 2347 (2014), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has increased its focus on patent eligibility. [link]

As a branding and marketing professional, I really enjoy seeing how advertising has evolved over the years. Gone are the days of boring, ho-hum advertising campaigns. With modern technology such as DVRs, consumers no longer have to sit through commercials, if they don’t want to.  [link]

On November 22, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) affirmed a decision of the District of Nevada granting summary judgment of noninfringement under the doctrine of equivalents.[link]

An Australian mother says she'll fight US rapper Jay-Z's copyright lawsuit because she thinks she should be able to use the Grammy-winner's name and lyrics to sell children's books.Jessica Chiha and her business The Little Homie are being sued in the Federal Court by the US billionaire, legally named Shawn Carter, who accuses them of of knowingly infringing on his trademarks and misleading conduct.[link]

Chinese internet writer Chen Hongyan has formed a new habit in her creative process - regularly uploading her literary works onto a blockchain-based database.After uploading a piece of writing, Chen, known among her readers by her pseudonym Lingchen, will automatically receive a string of data as the electronic ID for her work.[link]

Recently, China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) issued the Notice on Strengthening the Relevant Work on the Protection of Well-Known Trademarks while Handling Trademark Violations. The Notice proposed that efforts should be made to thoroughly implement the decision-making arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on rigid IP protection, to give full play to the important role of well-known trademark protection in accelerating the construction of IP powerhouse and creating a sound business environment and clarified the specific requirements for further strengthening the investigation and protection of well-known trademarks in trademark violation cases.[link]

This year has included many twists and turns for IP stakeholders, particularly on the patent side. Most recently, the Federal Circuit’s decision in Arthrex has called into question the constitutionality of Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions, and perhaps the Board itself. [link]