BizTech Law Blog

“Three-peat” Use Agreement in Place if Chiefs Win Super Bowl

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles are playing in Super Bowl LIX this Sunday, February 9. If the Chiefs win, this will be their third consecutive Super Bowl win, and, according to the Kansas City Star via reporter Blair Kerkhoff, the team can purportedly use Miami Heat team president and legendary NBA coach Pat Riley’s trademarked phrase “three-peat”. Read More ›

Categories: Alerts and Updates, Did you Know?, Intellectual Property, Licensing, Trademarks

Posted by: Lindsey M. Mead

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Startups or Corporations: IP Strategies for All Businesses

Foster Swift attorney Mikhail "Mike" Murshak recently appeared on an episode of Michigan Reimagined, a podcast that discusses entrepreneurship and small business development and shares the stories of the people and organizations driving Michigan’s economic sustainability, to discuss the importance for a business to protect its intellectual property (IP). Read More ›

Categories: Intellectual Property, Licensing, Patents

Posted by: Mikhail Murshak

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Can AI-Generated Works be Copyrighted?

With the influx of generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) tools and applications becoming readily available online, it is increasingly important to assess whether AI-generated works can obtain intellectual property protection. Specifically, in light of AI apps being able to create paintings, photographs, and illustrations from minimal prompting from an end-user, the United States Copyright Office (the “Copyright Office”) has had to consider whether such works can be copyrighted and to what extent. Read More ›

Categories: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Intellectual Property, Lawsuit, Licensing

Posted by: Lindsey M. Mead

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AI Legal Issues That Can Impact Your Business

Many businesses are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in a variety of innovative ways to improve productivity and to save time and money. According to a 2023 Forbes article (forbes.com/advisor/business/software/ai-in-business/), 1 in 3 businesses plan to use ChatGPT to write their website content while 97% of business owners believe it will help their business. Read More ›

Categories: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Intellectual Property, IT Contracts, Technology

Posted by: Taylor A. Gast, Lindsey M. Mead

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Under the Bridge – The Rise of Copyright Trolls in the Intellectual Property Space

Through tactical litigation practices, copyright trolls rely on copyright law to allege infringement and threaten major statutory damages upon unsuspecting defendants. The term “copyright troll” is an unflattering nickname for someone who manipulates the intellectual property (“IP”) laws to force a “toll” by way of a settlement payout on market participants. Read More ›

Categories: Alerts and Updates, Billing/Payment, Compliance, Copyright, Intellectual Property, Lawsuit, Trademarks

Posted by: Lindsey M. Mead, Mikhail Murshak

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Risks Make AI Workplace Policies a Requirement

Artificial intelligence (AI) is fast becoming an integral element in the operation of virtually every business and organization. Read More ›

Categories: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Digital Assets, Employment, Intellectual Property, Privacy, Technology

Posted by: Taylor A. Gast

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Legal Insights Into Businesses Using AI

Legal Insights Into Businesses Using AI

The AI Revolution is here! Startups across our region are using AI tools in innovative new ways. But could there be legal pitfalls you haven’t considered? Read More ›

Categories: Copyright, Cybersecurity, Did you Know?, Intellectual Property, Liability, Technology

Posted by: Taylor A. Gast

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Virtual Panel: TikTok, WeChat & More: Talking Tech and IP in The U.S. & China

The ​U.S. and China compete for global dominance in the areas of tech and innovation; however, in an era of global firms and global citizens they must also learn to cooperate. Read More ›

Categories: Compliance, Intellectual Property, Technology

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What’s in a Name? Protecting Your Business’s Name from a Look-Alike

Due to the depth of information this article provides, the full article is linked below and is also featured under 'Publications' on this site.

As the old phrase goes: what’s in a name? For any business, a name is a brand. A name is tied to a reputation, a marketing strategy, and a presence within an industry. We have all laughed at off-brand products in grocery store aisles: Mountain Mist masquerading as Mountain Dew, Mr. Pibb stepping in for Dr. Pepper, or Cinnamon Crunch Squares replacing Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Other times, similar names represent companies in unrelated industries: Domino Sugar vs. Domino’s Pizza or Delta Airlines vs. Delta Faucets. But when does a company’s name cross the line into violating another company’s rights?

See the full article here.

Categories: Intellectual Property, Trademarks

Posted by: Andrew C. Vredenburg, Jim W. Scales (Summer Associate)

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What to Consider Before Filing a Patent

This blog has since been updated with new information

What is eligible for patent protection?

In the U.S., what is known as a "general utility patent" or what most people typically imagine a patent to be, protects the use and function of an invention. Processes, machines, articles of manufacture and compositions of matter are all patent eligible. You cannot get a patent for an abstract idea or something that you discover in nature; you have to have a true physical invention or a process that creates a transformation of some kind in order to be eligible. Read More ›

Categories: Copyright, Intellectual Property

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