Our weekly SoCal IP Institute meeting on Monday, April 14, 2014 will be a discussion of a recent copyright and trademark case:  Brief synopses appear below.

Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc. v. Shilovskaya, Case No. 12 Civ. 8867 (PGG)  (S.D.N. Y 3/31/14, ) (available here).  The issue was whether an eBook version of a commissioned English translation of a Russian novel The Master and Margarita, a Russian novel written by Mikhail Bulgakov, constituted a new derivative work. Shilovskaya owned the copyright in the subject Russian novel. Plaintiff wanted to publish the English version of the novel in the form of an eBook and argued that it had commissioned and copyrighted the translation of the book while the work was in the public domain. The court said it did not.

Stone Lion Capital v. Lion Capital LLP, Case No. 2013-1353 (Fed. Cir. 3/26/2014) (available here).  Stone Lion Capital Partners, L.P.  unsuccessfully appealed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s decision refusing registration of the mark “STONE LION CAPITAL” due to a likelihood of confusion with opposer Lion Capital LLP’s  registered marks, “LION CAPITAL” and “LION.”

All are invited to join us in our discussion during the SoCal IP Institute meeting on Monday, April 14, 2014 at Noon in our Westlake Village office. This activity is approved for 1 hour of MCLE credit. If you will be joining us, please RSVP to Noelle Smith by 9 am Monday morning.