Trademarks and Deceptive Advertising

3 Credit Hours

Trademarks (e.g., APPLE computers; CORONA beer) are valuable business assets. Consumers use these signals in making purchasing decisions and companies use them to build commercial goodwill. This course covers the statutory and common law bases for trademarks and related rights. We discuss the acquisition and loss of trademark rights, infringement and remedies, and controversies over the scope of trademark protection. The course also covers related topics, including unfair competition, false advertising, dilution, right of publicity, domain name protection, and cybersquatting. We also examine the tensions between trademark protection and free speech.