Lisa P. Ramsey
@lpramsey.bsky.social
University of San Diego Law Professor. I teach IP law and write about potential conflicts between trademark laws and free speech rights. Author of “Trademarks and Free Speech: Conflicts and Resolutions” (Cambridge University Press 2026) www.lisapramsey.com
Jack Daniel’s Trademark Tarnishment Win Reversed on Appeal news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/jack-...
Jack Daniel’s Trademark Tarnishment Win Reversed on Appeal
Jack Daniel’s Properties Inc.'s famous trademarks weren’t tarnished by a whiskey bottle-shaped dog toy’s poop puns, the Ninth Circuit ruled.
news.bloomberglaw.com
Highly recommend this article - Comedian Daring Buc-ee's To Sue Takes Dig At Brand Policing (www.law360.com/articles/250...) - about Buc-ee's aggressive enforcement of trademark rights in its logo (a bucktoothed cartoon beaver wearing a red baseball cap), with a few quotes from me.
Comedian Daring Buc-ee's To Sue Takes Dig At Brand Policing - Law360
The string of lawsuits Buc-ee's Ltd. has filed against businesses it says mimic its popular beaver branding has caught the attention of comedian John Oliver, who unveiled a bucktoothed "Buc-Off" masco...
law360.com
John Oliver Dares Buc-ee’s To Sue Him Over Trademark Infringement I will admit it's always a special kind of fun when a topic we cover here at Techdirt gets the John Oliver treatment. He and... https://www.techdirt.com/2026/07/30/john-oliver-dares-buc-ees-to-sue-him-over-trademark-infringement/
John Oliver Dares Buc-ee’s To Sue Him Over Trademark Infringement
I will admit it's always a special kind of fun when a topic we cover here at Techdirt gets the John Oliver treatment. He and his writing team generally gets things right, which helps. And I'm not saying that Oliver and his crew are definitely Techdirt readers, but, well, hi John and crew! Readers here...
techdirt.com
When A.I. Invaded ‘Heated Rivalry’ Fan Fiction, the Meltdown Was Epic (with some comments from me) www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/t...
When A.I. Invaded ‘Heated Rivalry’ Fan Fiction, the Meltdown Was Epic
An anonymous X account posted a detailed breakdown of chatbot text in 38 popular stories inspired by the hockey romance. The fandom spiraled.
nytimes.com
If you will be at Comic-Con this week, please join us Sat. at 10:30 am for our panel on hot topics in IP law. My talk will focus on trademark law (e.g., Patagonia v. Pattie Gonia, the Confessions of a Showgirl/Life of a Showgirl lawsuit against Taylor Swift). comiccon2026.sched.com/event/bc4067...
Comic-Con 2026: Comic Book Law School® 303: Trademark Pa...
View more about this event at Comic-Con 2026
comiccon2026.sched.com
federal court finds rebel ice cream infringed & diluted the trade dress for van leeuwen ice cream, enjoining rebel's use of its current packaging & awarding van leeuwen $23.79 million in damages www.bloomberglaw.com/product/blaw...
The US Supreme Court will hear a trademark dispute involving the mark RISE for coffee and alleged infringement of that mark by Pepsi's use of MTN DEW RISE as the name of an energy drink. www.reuters.com/world/us-sup...
US Supreme Court takes up Pepsi 'Mtn Dew Rise' trademark dispute
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear a bid by canned-coffee maker Rise Brewing to hold PepsiCo liable for alleged trademark infringement concerning Pepsi's morning energy drink "Mtn Dew R...
reuters.com
Recommend this article by Riya Sharma about the Patagonia/Pattie Gonia trademark dispute with quotes by me. Pattie Gonia included a First Amendment defense among other defenses to infringement and dilution in her answer,... news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Patagonia-Pattie Gonia Fight Tests Trademarks in Influencer Era
Patagonia Inc., the outdoor apparel brand known for its pro-environment stance, is embroiled in a trademark dispute with drag queen and climate activist Pattie Gonia in what could become a PR nightmar...
news.bloomberglaw.com
"The NO FAKES Act, a proposed federal law that would ban AI-powered voice cloning and deepfakes, passed a key Congressional hurdle Thursday (June 18) as it was approved by a Senate committee." www.billboard.com/pro/ai-no-fa...
AI Deepfake Law NO FAKES Act Advances in Congress With Key Senate Committee Vote
The NO FAKES Act, a proposed federal law that would ban AI-powered voice cloning and deepfakes, was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
billboard.com
influencer sues partner lingerie brand, alleging that instead of publishing the content she provided, it posted altered deepfake videos that exposed her breasts thru one of the brand's sheer bras–imagery she neither created nor approved www.thefashionlaw.com/what-happens...
What Happens When Brands Use AI to "Alter" Influencer Content?
The lawsuit comes as fashion and beauty brands increasingly experiment with AI-generated tools in their marketing efforts.
thefashionlaw.com
Recommend this interesting news story by George Kelly about FIFA’s rules for ketchup bottles and other condiments at US stadiums hosting World Cup games (with some quotes from me!) Lost in the sauce: FIFA tried to hide the Heinz; everyone knew anyway sfstandard.com/2026/06/15/f...
FIFA’s tape job on condiments at the World Cup backfires spectacularly
One internet commenter dubbed the taped-over bottles the “Epstein file condiments.”
sfstandard.com
i dug into the @patagonia lawsuit against drag queen activitist pattie gonia for trademark infringement & dilution & spoke with @sfgate yesterday about why i don't think it's a slam dunk: www.sfgate.com/national-par...
Patagonia in the wilderness with suit against drag queen, legal experts say
Trademark lawyers aren't convinced the suit would hold up in court.
sfgate.com
Major Publishers Challenge AI Training Practices in Landmark Copyright Suit Against Meta www.lexology.com/library/deta...
Major Publishers Challenge AI Training Practices in Landmark Copyright Suit Against Meta
Major publishing houses and bestselling author Scott Turow have sued Meta and Mark Zuckerberg, alleging Meta used pirated copyrighted works…
lexology.com
Under the approach in my new book, such uses of the Steamboat Willie image are OK if people don’t think Disney is the source of the beer, but the breweries should not be able to register or obtain trademark protection for this packaging design because this image is inherently valuable expression.
Zvi S. Rosen@zvirosen.bsky.social · 3mo agoMissed this when new - two competing breweries both released "public domain" Steamboat Willy themed beers. www.westword.com/food-drink/p...
Here are my predictions after listening to the oral arguments at the Ninth Circuit in the Jack Daniel's v. VIP Products trademark dispute. First, the Ninth Circuit will not rule on the issue of whether the dilution by tarnishment statute is consistent with the First Amendment. . . .
Recommended Reading: Prof. Lisa P. Ramsey: Trademarks and Free Speech - Conflicts and Resolutions thettablog.blogspot.com/2026/05/reco...
If you are interested in the topic of trademarks and free speech, join me on May 14 in person or online for my book talk at Cambridge University's Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law. Info about my presentation and the Zoom link are here: www.law.cam.ac.uk/press/events...
CIPIL Evening Seminar: 'Trademarks and Free Speech: Conflicts and
Speaker: Lisa P. Ramsey, Professor of Law, University of San Diego School of Law Professor Lisa P. Ramsey, Professor of Law at the University of San Diego School of Law and an expert on trademark
law.cam.ac.uk
I posted my Senate testimony about Section 230 and responses to follow-up Questions for the Record on SSRN, and wrote this blog post excerpting the main thrust of the testimony. It describes the positive work Section 230 is doing today, and what we know about *actual outcomes* under alternate laws.
Section 230 at 30 Senate Testimony: The Worst Law Except for All the Other Ones
Last month, I had the privilege of testifying in an unusually substantive and (mostly) collegial hearing about the law known as Section 230. This is the first of several posts excerpting portions of m...
cyberlaw.stanford.edu
Breaking News: Supreme Court Denies Petition for Certiorari in RAPUNZEL Consumer Standing Case.
On my reading list: "Trademark's Parody Problem" by @christinefarley.bsky.social: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
If you are attending INTA this year, please join us for our Professor’s Panel discussion about INTA’s recent proposal to increase protection for well known marks: www.inta.org/wp-content/u... Info about our panel is here: www.inta.org/meetings/202.... I look forward to seeing everyone at INTA!
If you live in the United Kingdom or will be in London for the INTA annual meeting, join us for my May 7 book talk at University College London. I’m delighted UCL invited me to speak and look forward to introducing my friends from the US to my friends from the UK! www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/events/...
Book Launch: Trademarks and Free Speech
This event is supported by the UCL Institute of Brand and Innovation Law (IBIL)
ucl.ac.uk
So I was delighted to discover that the SDNY court in the Viacom v Zeus case cited my “Free Speech Challenges to Trademark Law after Matal v Tam” paper in footnote 3! law.justia.com/cases/federa...
Viacom International Inc. v. Zeus Networks, LLC et al, No. 1:2025cv00973 - Document 59 (S.D.N.Y. 2026)
Viacom International Inc. v. Zeus Networks, LLC et al, No. 1:2025cv00973 - Document 59 (S.D.N.Y. 2026) case opinion from the Southern District of New York U.S. Federal District Court
law.justia.com
alex roberts @lexlanham.bsky.social · 4mo agoin 2020 i talked to @fortunemagazine about nick cannon's claim that he, not viacom, should own the WILD 'N OUT trademarks today viacom is suing zeus over cannon's new show "bad vs. wild," which it claims infringes the WILD 'N OUT marks (its eurweb.com/nick-cannon-...
"Ohio man becomes first person convicted under federal law criminalizing intimate deepfakes, DOJ says - The Take It Down Act makes it a federal crime to publish nonconsensual deepfakes." www.nbcnews.com/tech/securit...
Ohio man becomes first person convicted under federal law criminalizing intimate deepfakes, DOJ says
The Take It Down Act makes it a federal crime to publish nonconsensual deepfakes.
nbcnews.com
Congratulations to USD law professor Linda Lane and the attorneys who teach in USD’s Experiential Advocacy Practicum for receiving an A+ grade and top 10 ranking from the National Jurist in its 2026 ranking of best law schools for practical training! nationaljurist.com/northeastern...
Northeastern, St. Thomas Law lead 2026 best law schools for practical training
Before stepping into a law school classroom, Maya Budhrani heard the warning: Law school is nothing like being a lawyer.As a first-generation law student, Budhrani relied heavily on outreach and self-...
nationaljurist.com
Kudos and *thanks* to @edleeprof.edu and his team @SantaClaraLaw.edu on their new searchable gen AI case tracker. With 100 domestic, and many more international, cases pending it'll be a great tool for gen AI case nerds (and real people) everywhere: chatgptiseatingtheworld.com/aicopyright...
Amazon's Bot Ban Aims To Stifle AI Rivals, 9th Circ. Told www.law360.com/articles/246...
Amazon's Bot Ban Aims To Stifle AI Rivals, 9th Circ. Told - Law360
Perplexity AI has urged the Ninth Circuit to scrap an injunction blocking the startup's artificial intelligence tool Comet from purchasing items on Amazon.com, arguing the lower court made numerous er...
law360.com
Lego Gets Win On Copyright, TM Claims In Suit Against Rival Zuru www.law360.com/articles/246...
Lego Gets Win On Copyright, TM Claims In Suit Against Rival - Law360
A Connecticut federal judge Thursday found that Lego competitor Zuru infringed Lego's copyright and trademark rights for its Minifigure line, rejecting Zuru's arguments that the registrations were inv...
law360.com
Netflix, Warner Bros. Get Pepperdine's 'Waves' TM Suit Tossed www.law360.com/articles/246...
Netflix, Warner Bros. Get Pepperdine's 'Waves' TM Suit Tossed - Law360
A California federal judge has thrown out a suit brought by Pepperdine University accusing Netflix and Warner Bros. of infringing trademarks via a fictional basketball team in the TV show "Running Poi...
law360.com
