WILLIAM SCOTT GOLDMAN
Bio
Senior IP counsel/founder of Goldman Law Group; ranked #5 in the world with 8,000 USPTO filings for creative clients in all 50 states and internationally; thought leader/author of "Branding Law Cases and Materials". Representing Innovation.
Stories (12/0)
WHEN EVERY DOG WILL HAVE ITS DAY – IN COURT
Now here’s a ‘tail’ of two canines. Or more specifically, recent trademark parody cases involving man’s best friend…and the brand manager’s worst enemy. First, we’ll provide some background discussion before delving into the curious case of Chewy Vouiton1 and then focusing on our primary subject, the infamous Jack Spaniels himself.2
By WILLIAM SCOTT GOLDMAN10 months ago in Journal
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Interested in protecting that long-cherished family favorite? Or perhaps you’re a chef or restaurateur interested in preserving commercial advantage against potential competitors and former employees? Protection of food products serves as a valuable case study for comparing and contrasting various IP strategies. So take a seat as we present an extensive menu of options…
By WILLIAM SCOTT GOLDMANabout a year ago in Journal
PATENT BRANDING
Businesses typically rely on trademark or even copyright to protect their valuable branding assets. However, an effective branding strategy also employs the exclusivity of both design and utility patent protection whenever its available, effectively keeping potential competitors out of the marketplace, regardless of brand name. Illustrating this concept in greater detail are the case studies below.
By WILLIAM SCOTT GOLDMANabout a year ago in Journal
- Top Story - April 2022
NFT IP:Top Story - April 2022
Representing what is perhaps the most cutting-edge new investment phenomenon of this past year, non-fungible tokens are the new crypto craze, just a short five years after most of us started learning about Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the various ‘alt coins’. Of course, with new technological developments arise a host of novel legal issues, stretching the limits of traditional intellectual property law. Hence, this brief survey of the still-nascent NFT relative to existing IP.
By WILLIAM SCOTT GOLDMAN2 years ago in The Chain
WHEN PAST MEETS FUTURE:
Recapping major developments from this past year in IP, branding law, trade regulation, and entertainment law, COVID-19 once again dominated our lives some two years later, casting its long shadow over the legal landscape. And branding law was no exception as outlined in our piece, COVID ®: Global Pandemic or U.S. Brandemic.
By WILLIAM SCOTT GOLDMAN2 years ago in Humans
EXPANDING BRANDING
One key Branding Law strategy involves stretching the boundaries of traditional trademark principles for registering important business assets. As a companion piece to our discussion of non-standard copyrights from a few months back, the following is a brief survey of some lesser-known types of trademarks that could be available for protecting certain brand attributes as well.
By WILLIAM SCOTT GOLDMAN2 years ago in Journal
PATRIOTIC BRANDING
As we celebrate the 245th anniversary of our nation’s founding, now it’s time to examine when national insignias, including flags, can be registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Under Section 2 of the Trademark Act (15 U.S.C. §1052), Congress set forth its ‘five deadly sins’, also known as the ‘absolute bars to registration’. Among this ignoble quintet is subsection (b), in pertinent part:
By WILLIAM SCOTT GOLDMAN2 years ago in Journal
Non-standard Copyrights:
Copyright law typically protects original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression against copying. As such, traditional examples of copyrightable subject matter have included books, motion pictures, sound recordings, paintings, and sculptural works. However, copyright is also applicable in certain “special cases”, such as product branding, websites and choreography.
By WILLIAM SCOTT GOLDMAN3 years ago in Journal
THE ENTREPRENEUR’S BLUEPRINT.
STARTUPS: START HERE Launching a side business is a wise decision whether considering a career transition or even as a source of secondary income, especially during these uncertain times. Consulting with an experienced attorney is vital for any startup, however. From raising capital to entity formation to tax considerations, regulatory and compliance issues, intellectual property and employment law, competent counsel essentially pays for itself over time by guiding a small business through myriad decisions and potential pitfalls.
By WILLIAM SCOTT GOLDMAN3 years ago in Journal
COVID ®:
Now that we’re officially one full year into the current catastrophe it’s time for a brief retrospective from a Branding Law perspective. Commonly-known as “the coronavirus” early on, as a derivation of the “novel coronavirus”, those negative connotations apparently did not have the expected tarnishing effect on the Corona brand for beer. Whether it was a result of increased awareness in the way of free publicity, brand resilience, or simply a function of thirsty, self-quarantining consumers, surprisingly strong sales figures were reported throughout 2020 with “Corona crowned #1” as the world’s top-selling beer brand.
By WILLIAM SCOTT GOLDMAN3 years ago in The Swamp
2021 In the Law; or, It Only Gets Better from Here
Happy New Year! Now in follow up to our 2020 retrospective from last month, once again it’s time for a prospective survey covering some of the major cases that could be shaping the legal landscape in 2021 and most relevant to our firm’s various practice areas, such as Intellectual Property Law, Trademark, Copyright, Computer Law and Antitrust.
By WILLIAM SCOTT GOLDMAN3 years ago in The Swamp
2020 Vision:
Now it's time for our annual end-of-year retrospective, and quite a year it was. After what quickly turned from optimism for the new decade to something else entirely, now we're all hoping for 2020 hindsight so to speak. However, the court cases continued grinding forward as remote depositions and virtual testimony became much more commonplace. So here are our 'hot takes' on some major opinions rendered during the year of pandemic and especially relevant to our firm's various practice areas.
By WILLIAM SCOTT GOLDMAN3 years ago in Journal
