Cardozo School of Law
TRADEMARK LAW
Spring 2007
Overview, basic information, syllabus, and
assignments for first two weeks of class
Professor Justin Hughes
212-790-0260
Hughes@yu.edu
justin@justinhughes.net
BASIC INFORMATION
Class room:
Room 206
Class hours:
Tuesday and Thursday, 2:30pm – 3:45pm
Course Materials:
GINSBURG, LITMAN, ET AL. TRADEMARK AND UNFAIR COMPETITION LAW
(3rd edition, 2001) and additional supplemental distribution packets, as
provided by instructor.
Evaluation Format:
Grading in the course will be based on a final take home examination. In
addition, class participation will be used to adjust grades upward or
downward.
d-07TMsyllabus.doc/page 1/printed February 16, 2016
SYLLABUS
version 1.0 – January 03, 2007
Introductory Concepts
I.
PRELUDE --- OF GOLDEN ARCHES AND BARBIE GIRLS
Casebook
pages 1 - 30
II.
III.
THE DOMINANT FRAMEWORK
Casebook
pages 83 - 108
70 - 78
44 - 49
57 - 60
68 - 70
[starting with "What is a Trademark?"]
[excerpts from Brown, Landes & Posner articles]
[trademark sections of Borchard article]
[Note on courts; Hanover case]
[Champion Spark Plug case]
ALTERNATIVE FRAMEWORKS
Casebook
pages 60 - 65
78 - 82
31 - 33
689 - 693
698 - 701
[Stork Club case]
["Breakfast with Batman"]
[through International News Service case]
[Pattishall article]
[Ringling Bros v. Celozzi-Ettelson case]
Acquisition of Rights
IV.
DISTINCTIVENESS IN A TRADEMARK
Casebook
pages 108 - 133
[skip questions on 116 and 133]
V.
ACQUISITION OF TRADEMARK RIGHTS THROUGH USE
Casebook
pages 134 - 155
[stopping at Bell case]
162 - 177
["Priority Use" skipping questions]
177 - 189
["Concurrent Use" skipping questions]
VI.
ACQUISITION OF TRADEMARK RIGHTS THROUGH "INTENT TO USE"
Casebook
pages 191 - 211
[to 'review problems' on 211. Skip or skim
legislative remarks and questions on 194 - 198; you
may want to review the problems on 211 - 213,
some of which we may discuss in class.]
VII.
THE REGISTRATION PROCESS AND TYPES OF MARKS
Casebook
pages 214 - 229
[lots of good 'nuts and bolts' information]
d-07TMsyllabus.doc/page 2/printed February 16, 2016
VIII.
BARS TO REGISTRATION
Casebook
pages 229 - 252
252 - 254
254 - 257
269 - 281
281 - 285
286 - 307
257 - 268
[Scandalous, immoral, and disparaging section
through standing discussion]
[deceptive and deceptively misdescriptive terms]
[flags, portraits, and dead Presidents]
[geographic terms]
[surnames, stop at questions]
[functionality, stop at questions]
[Section 2(d) – 15 USC 1052(d) – confusion with
existing registered mark]
Confusion-based Infringement
IX.
INFRINGEMENT AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION
Casebook
pages 391 - 420
[stop at 'what are infringing uses?']
423 - 438
[to end of CBS case]
445 - 454
[Munsingwear case and 'reverse confusion' cases]
454 - 470
[contributory and vicarious liability; we will only
briefly discuss Hard Rock Café and AT&T cases.]
X.
STATUTORY DEFENSES/INCONTESTABILITY
Casebook
pages 474 - 496
[stop at College Savings case]
XI
PARODY AND SPEECH DEFENSES
Casebook
pages 830 - 846
[stop at "question"]
886 - 872
[Boston Marathon cases]
874 - 880
[Mutual of Omaha case]
889 - 900
[Anheuser-Busch case to "question" on 900]
Distribution packet - K.P. Permanent Make-up v. Lasting Impressions, U.S. Supreme
Court, December 8, 2004
Dilution-Based Infringement
XII.
DILUTION LAW AND CASE LAW
Professor will designate readings in next iteration of syllabus
Other Issues
XIII. TRADE DRESS
Casebook
pages 510 - 533
XIV.
[including 2 questions on page 525; pictures on 526 527 go with question #2 on page 525.]
ABANDONMENT/FAILURE TO CONTROL
Casebook
pages 356 – 367
[Silverman v. CBS]
d-07TMsyllabus.doc/page 3/printed February 16, 2016
368 – 371
379 - 383
XVI.
GENERICNESS
Casebook
pages 312 - 330
336 - 350
[Clark & Freeman case]
[quality control provisions of contracts, just skim]
[to questions; relax, it's mainly pictures]
XVII. REMEDIES
I will provide a summary discussion of remedies -- no reading required
End of syllabus, version 1.0
#####
d-07TMsyllabus.doc/page 4/printed February 16, 2016
Cardozo School of Law
TRADEMARK LAW
Spring 2006
Professor Justin Hughes
ASSIGNMENT FOR JANUARY 17, 19 AND 24
For first class
I.
PRELUDE --- OF GOLDEN ARCHES AND BARBIE GIRLS
Casebook
pages 1 - 30
For next two classes after that
II.
THE DOMINANT FRAMEWORK
Casebook
pages 83 - 108
70 - 78
[starting with "What is a Trademark?"]
[excerpts from Brown, Landes & Posner articles]
This is a greater number of pages than we’ll try to cover on average each week, but pages 1-30 is an
introductory case which it is not necessary to master to the same degree as cases in the rest of the course
readings.
d-07TMsyllabus.doc/page 5/printed February 16, 2016