I ? Trademarks Newsletter: Issue #417

Tick TikTok It Did Stop

As you probably know,?TikTok went down over the weekend because of the congressional ban, but the platform came back up after less than a day after now-President Trump stepped in to “save” the app, prompting?TikTok CEO Shou Chew to attend the inauguration?yesterday.

Some are calling on President Trump to maintain the ban, which of course?he initially called for during his first term.

In order to continue, TikTok will need to sell at least 50% of shares to a US owner, and?there’s speculation about the tech investors that might buy shares.

With concerns looming about the app’s fate, many users have set up accounts on RedNote,?despite the app being offered only in Mandarin?and despite?the security and impersonation concerns. Many are now starting to see?China’s strict censorship laws firsthand.

Tech It in Stride

Apple tried but failed to block the trademark registration of WAPPLES in Singapore.

The USPTO has issued its policy regarding AI. Download and read the full document?here.

Recently revealed documents in copyright infringement lawsuits against Meta and OpenAI allege that?data teams removed copyright information from datasets used to train AI, which could impact the outcome.

Indie video game studio Mob Entertainment is suing Google?for failing to take down allegedly infringing “scam” versions of their popular Poppy Playtime app.

Sport-acular

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee?(USOPC) and Prime Hydration have settled their trademark dispute?about the Kevin Durant Olympic Prime Drink.

If you’re wondering what to do with your JD,?apparently “athletic director” might soon be the answer. Thanks, NIL!

Kansas Citians have spent the last year talking about the Chiefs’?potential “three-peat” if they make it to this year’s big game, but it turns out the term was?trademarked?by Pat Riley decades ago.

Professional Concerns

If?The Time(s)?has come for you to move on in your career, consider this senior counsel position.

Getting this position as advertising counsel at?Spotify?would make you stream “Hallelujah!”

This?LinkedIn?job post about a commercial counsel position at LinkedIn is so meta. Not Meta, just meta.

Use your legal?Akumin?to succeed in this corporate counsel position.

Have an open role on your team? Send a link to your job listing to?[email protected], and we’ll publish it in our next newsletter.

Odds and Ends

Check out this CITMA?webinar about how paralegals can make effective use of AI.

Can antitrust law inform how we consider issues of competition and fair use?in light of the?Warhol?decision?

In this TTAB case stemming from a domain dispute, establishing use in commerce was finicky, and it ultimately came down to?two days’ difference between the companies.

Coke Stewart will serve as the acting Director of the USPTO.