Loomis v. Cornish (9th Cir. September 2, 2016) (available here) In a copyright infringement action, the district court granted summary judgment to Defendant Cornish.  The 9th Circuit affirmed where Plaintiff Loomis failed to put forth admissible evidence establishing copyright infringement against R&B star Jessie J for allegedly stealing a vocal melody from plaintiff’s song ‘Bright Red Chords’ for use in the hit song ‘Domino’.

Trader Joe’s Co. v. Hallat (9th Cir. August 8, 2016) (available here) Plaintiff Trader Joe’s brought a trademark infringement action after Defendant Hallat purchased Trader Joe’s goods in the United States and resold them at a copycat store in Canada. The district court dismissed Plaintiff’s Lanham Act claims.  The 9th Circuit reversed finding: 1) the extraterritorial application of the Lanham Act is a question as to the merits of a trademark claim instead of federal courts’ subject-matter jurisdiction; and 2) Trader Joe’s alleges a nexus between defendant’s conduct and American commerce sufficient to warrant extraterritorial application of the Lanham Act.

All are invited to join us on Monday, September 19, 2016, at noon in our Westlake Village office. This activity is approved for 1 hour of General MCLE credit. If you will be joining us, please RSVP to Elisha Manzur by 9 am Monday morning.