Insights

Washington – August 15, 2024: The 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® has recognized 42 Crowell & Moring lawyers as "Best Lawyers" and 29 lawyers as “Ones to Watch.”

Washington – August 17, 2023: The 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® has recognized 47 firm lawyers as "Best Lawyers" and 41 lawyers as “Ones to Watch.”

Washington – June 8, 2023: Crowell & Moring has been recommended in seven practice areas in the 16th edition of the Legal 500 United States. In addition, partner Daniel R. Forman, co-chair of the firm’s Government Contracts Group, has been named to the Legal 500’s “Hall of Fame” for Government Contracts. The firm’s full rankings can be viewed here.

The Federal Circuit recently held that a claim that a product is protected by patents when it is not may constitute false advertising. Defendants in this case, Dawgs Inc., accused the makers of Crocs of using the terms “patented,” ‘proprietary,” and “exclusive” in its advertising in a manner that misled consumers about the nature, characteristics, or qualities of its own products and the products of its competitors. Specifically, Dawgs alleged that Crocs made promotional statements that a patent covers its Croslite shoe material, that Croslite has numerous tangible benefits found in all of Crocs’ shoe products and that, because Croslite is “patented,” others’ products lack these same benefits. Crocs, Inc. v. Effervescent, Inc., No. 2022-2160, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 25001 (Fed. Cir. Oct. 3, 2024).

It seems most everyone has been closely monitoring Taco Bell’s cancellation proceedings directed to federal trademark registrations covering the TACO TUESDAY trademark.  On July 15, 2023, one of the registrants, Spicy Seasonings, LLC, withdrew its registration after decades of ownership, supporting Taco Bell’s allegations that the phrase is generic and therefore not protectable as a trademark.

Crowell attorneys prepared Lexology’s Advertising and Marketing USA reference guide enabling side-by-side comparison of a variety of countries’ advertising and marketing standards, including the legal and regulatory framework; private enforcement (litigation and administrative procedures); misleading advertising; prohibited and controlled advertising; social media advertising; and recent trends.

Through the metaverse, the global fashion marketplace is experiencing unprecedented digital transformation that will fundamentally reimagine and expand how consumers experience fashion. The power of the metaverse does not end in its untapped monetary valuation (estimated at $800 billion over the next 10 years); it also provides a digital platform that creates new ways for global companies to connect with their consumers. With all that this medium has to offer, it is no surprise that major fashion brands are tuning in and entering the metaverse in droves.

Lauren B. Aronson, Emily Kappers, Alexander Urbelis, and Howard Michael participated and presented in a webinar titled, "Protecting Your Brand: Advertising Challenges, Trademark Strategies for E-Commerce, and Cyber Blind Spots" for the Association of Corporate Counsel on November 4, 2021. This webinar addressed three particularly timely and critical activities vital to protecting client’s brands. 

It’s All Hearsay! The podcast where lawyers give current news, practical tips and real stories on legal issues relevant to in-house attorneys - hosted by the Chicago Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). In this episode All Style, No Substance, you’ll hear Emily Kappers, who is joined by Emily Eitches, House of Blueberry’s Director of Business Development, discuss intellectual property considerations in the virtual world. Listen or access from one of these links:

Lauren B. Aronson, Emily Kappers, Alexander Urbelis, and Howard Michael participated and presented in a webinar titled, "Protecting Your Brand: Advertising Challenges, Trademark Strategies for E-Commerce, and Cyber Blind Spots" for the Association of Corporate Counsel on November 4, 2021. This webinar addressed three particularly timely and critical activities vital to protecting client’s brands.