Intellectual property law is one of the most important aspects of the U.S. legal system, protecting everyone from Silicon Valley innovators to the indie musician trying to write the song of the summer. Unfortunately, it can also be difficult to understand facts about copyright laws and the best strategies for intellectual property cases. Ultimately, you’ll probably need to invest in intellectual property law attorneys to help you navigate the process.
But if you’re looking for information on successful strategies for intellectual property cases, then it might be helpful to review some of the most famous and influential intellectual property law cases in modern American history.
AandM Records, Inc. v. Napster
This landmark intellectual property case signaled the beginning of the new millennium, and a major shift in American culture. The Internet was still in its infancy when 18-year-old college student Sean Parker created the file-sharing program Napster. This simple program shook the music industry to its core, forever disrupting the way Americans listened to music. Not only did it signal the dawn of the age of rampant Internet piracy, but it was one of the first high-profile intellectual property law cases based on emerging technologies.
The result? In 2001 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that Napster could in fact be held liable for copyright infringement. Parker lost the case, but went on to advise another computer prodigy — Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Kellogg Co. v. National Biscuit Co.
Although a case over shredded wheat might not seem as sexy as Napster versus the entire music industry, it’s another landmark case in intellectual property laws. In short, the National Biscuit company said Kellogg’s use of the term “shredded wheat” was too similar to their own product. Judge Brandeis ultimately ruled in favor of Kellogg, saying the term shredded wheat was descriptive, and therefore couldn’t be trademarked. To this day, the ruling remains an important test of whether a name can be trademarked.
Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh v. The Random House Group Limited
In 2004, the world was obsessed with “The DaVinci Code,” which became the subject of an important intellectual property case. The authors of a historical book that explored similar theories sued the book’s publisher for stealing their ideas, but a judge ruled in favor of the publishers. The judge wrote, ?It would be quite wrong if fictional writers were to have their writings pored over in the way The DaVinci Code has been pored over in this case by authors of pretend historical books to make an allegation of infringement of copyright.?
Remember: this page isn’t official legal advice, and the only person you should consult on strategies for intellectual property cases is your own legal representative!