The U.S. Copyright Office And USPTO Announce A Joint Study On NFT-Related IP Issues

Yesterday, the U.S. Copyright Office (USCO) and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced a joint study on IP issues related to NFTs. This follows a Congressional request by senators Leahy and Tillis that the Offices explore these issues. Today, the Offices will publish a Notice of Inquiry (unpublished version can be found here), with a notice-and-comment period to follow, seeking stakeholder/private industry feedback on the following topics:

Current/proposed uses of NFTs in industry
Any IP-related challenges […]

By | December 8th, 2022 ||

Foothills IP Returns To The Western District Of Texas

Each of the Western District of Texas cases filed by Foothills IP LLC earlier this year was over by mid-August; the plaintiff has now hit two more defendants in the same district: Cloud Imperium Games ( 6:22-cv-01081) and Embracer Group (Gunfire Games) ( 6:22-cv-01082). Only one of the two patents-in-campaign is asserted in these new complaints, with Foothills IP again targeting computers allegedly outfitted with certain CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs, as used by the defendants “for commercial purposes, such as developing software such as […]

By | December 6th, 2022 ||

Brand Protection And Enforcement Considerations For Trademark Owners In The Metaverse

The metaverse is an infrastructure of technology that allows users to experience online networks in a 3D or virtual reality space. Dubbed the next generation of the internet, a fully developed metaverse may eventually connect all users across online virtual environments to socialize, share information, or transact business. At present, the metaverse consists of various siloed platforms that offer users a variety of online experiences—from video games to online virtual reality social networks.

The ability […]

By | December 4th, 2022 ||