When Marketing Outpaces IP: What the Dua Lipa-Samsung Lawsuit Reveals About Brand Risk
You may have noticed the extra large Samsung television boxes lining the articles of Walmart or Best Buy. An image of a television homescreen is printed on the box, and most notably, Dua Lipa’s face is the background on the screen. But, did Dua Lipa ever give consent for her image to be used in […]
The “Dupe” Defense: Lessons from Lululemon v. Costco
Dupes have gone mainstream: in 2026, dupes are less about copying luxury logos, and centered more on mainstream producers copying recognizable design features. In the past few years, dupe culture has been thriving on TikTok videos and Reddit threads, where lookalikes were framed as affordable options rather than legal infringements. But that line has started […]
Foreign Legal Update: U.S. Escalates Pressure on Vietnam to Address IP Infringement
In a rare move, the United States has taken a distinct position against intellectual property enforcement in Vietnam. In a recent 2026 Special 301 Report, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative listed Vietnam as a “Priority Foreign Country,” the most severe classification under the statute. The USTR has not used this classification for any […]
Client Alert from Minx Law: Protecting Celebrity Identity in the AI Era: Immediate Steps Talent Teams Should Be Taking Now
As generative AI tools become more convincing, celebrities and other high profile individuals should consider taking steps now to protect against misuse. Some of the misuses and infringement that our team is seeing across platforms include: In response, we are seeing more talent-side interest in a strategy that would have sounded novel even a year […]
The New Role of IP Counsel: From Protection to Strategic Advantage
Intellectual property is often mistaken as a checks-and-balances legal practice. Clients find a firm when they’re ready to file a trademark or handle a dispute. For many traditional businesses, IP has been limited to damage protection and cleaning up problems after they appear. Today, as IP legal counsel, we find ourselves in the boardroom, alongside […]
Foreign Legal Update: South Korea Moves to Strengthen Global Anti-Counterfeit Enforcement
Korean skincare, K-pop, food and fashion! The world is eager to get their hands on anything Korean, but South Korea is watching carefully. A new government-backed “K-Brand” certification system aims to combat counterfeit Korean goods in overseas markets. A New System for Counterfeits Under the new system, the Korean government plans to register K-Brand certification […]
Design Is Not Decoration: Why Visual Identity Deserves Real IP Strategy
Logos, packaging, campaign visuals – they all come together in the final stages of brand launch, long after development, testing and manufacturing. Most importantly, these items are rarely hardwired; they are left up to personal taste or individual vision. No matter how “fluffy” we think visual presentation is in comparison to the tangible product, a […]
Client Update: California Website Privacy Claims Are Rising
For years, most companies treated website tracking as a marketing issue. It lived under analytics, ad performance, and customer experience. That is changing. A growing wave of lawsuits under the California Invasion of Privacy Act, or CIPA, is targeting the everyday tools businesses use on their websites, including tracking pixels, chat features, session replay tools, […]
Best Practices for Trademark Enforcement on YouTube and TikTok
Trademark law developed in a world where disputes were resolved primarily through courts and administrative agencies. Enforcement followed formal procedures, and outcomes were shaped by established legal tests and judicial interpretation. That framework no longer reflects how many trademark conflicts unfold today. A growing number of brand disputes are now decided by digital platforms applying […]
Trademarking Persona: Voice, Image, and Identity as Enforceable Brand Assets for Public Figures
Matthew McConaughey recently filed trademark applications covering elements of his personal identity, including his name and related branding, for use in connection with media, entertainment, and commercial ventures. These filings have focused attention on an issue that has been quietly gaining importance for years: the legal protection of persona. While trademarks have traditionally centered on […]
