Naples FL Intellectual Property Law Blog

Naples readers who have ever had a baby in the house know that diapers can quickly add up in terms of expense. They are costly to begin with and naturally, they get used up.

Because most parents are not willing to go without disposable diapers, it should come as no surprise, then, that diapers are actually pretty big business. Companies that make diapers are not afraid to go to court to protect their intellectual property assets and keep competitors from using the designs they use as selling points.

Recently, a federal judge ruled that the question of whether the maker of store-brand diapers sold in Rite-Aid and Walgreens infringed on patents owned by Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, the maker of Huggies, should be answered by a jury.

Last week, we brought Florida readers news about the Stop Online Piracy Act and its sister piece of legislation, the Protect IP Act.

Many popular websites, such as Reddit and Wikipedia, went dark last Wednesday to protest the copyright protection measures, which would have required websites to monitor user-uploaded content for copyrighted material, among other things. The blackout seemed to have the intended effect because several key lawmakers withdrew their support from the bills and now PIPA and SOPA proponents seem to be back at Square One.

There are likely a fair number of fashionable Naples women who swoon over Christian Louboutin shoes. Louboutin's heels, which are regularly part of the red-carpet looks of celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Sarah Jessica Parker, are noted for their red soles. Oftentimes, reporters and photographers can tell a celebrity is wearing Louboutin heels by whether or not the soles of her shoes are red.

But another French fashion house, Yves St. Laurent, has also made shoes with red soles and Louboutin is not happy about that. Louboutin sued Laurent in April, claiming that Yves St. Laurent violated its trademark by making some shoes with red soles.

Over the holiday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Officials swept through southern Florida and confiscated around $76 million in counterfeit goods. The items, which included everything from knockoff Louis Vuitton luggage to imitation Dora the Explorer watches, violated the trademarks and copyrights held by legitimate businesses.

The sweep, called Operation Holiday Hoax II, is notable because the confiscated items seemed to hint that a sophisticated and well-organized operation was behind their sale. As a customs official said,  the ring was quite different than "one person with a suitcase in a corner selling fake watches." She called the counterfeit goods ring "organized crime" and said that while it is understandable that we are all trying to stretch our dollars, every purchase of a knockoff or counterfeit item aids organized crime.