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 […]

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 […]

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