Marc J. Rachman of Davis+Gilbert LLP

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Marc Rachman, a partner in the Litigation + Dispute Resolution and Intellectual Property + Media Practice Groups, focuses on intellectual property (IP) counseling and litigation, advertising disputes and challenges, and complex commercial disputes. Marc’s experience spans the full range of IP, including trademark, copyright, false advertising, rights of publicity, trade secret and patent infringement disputes. He helps clients of all sizes assess, protect and optimize the value of their intellectual property.

Insightful and pragmatic, with a deep knowledge of his clients’ businesses and industries, Marc gets to the root of a matter quickly with strategic insight and practical solutions. His experience as a media planner before pursuing his legal career gives him a unique perspective when advising on advertising and media matters. Marc represents industry-leading advertising and marketing, financial services, digital media and adtech businesses, world-renowned entertainers, small businesses, and technology startups, among others.

Marc works closely with clients to assert and defend IP infringement claims, provides pre-litigation and litigation avoidance counseling, and advises on the use of IP in advertising, marketing and promotions. He has an impressive record in prosecuting and defending cases, and his knowledge of the courts and the alternative dispute resolution process helps him guide clients in deciding when to fight and when to settle. He is exceptionally swift and effective in resolving IP matters in court, before the USPTO and its Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and at the negotiating table.

Marc’s experience extends to copyright disputes concerning music, photo, pictorial, sculptural and literary works. He has also worked on trademark matters relating to word and design marks, trade dress, and nontraditional trademarks — including sounds and product designs — as well as celebrity images and personas. In recent years, he has been a driving force in developing and building the firm’s niche practice in defending graffiti art copyright infringement claims.

Marc has helped several celebrity clients address online reputation management issues. He also has extensive experience handling complex commercial disputes involving the enforcement of advertising agency-client agreements, digital advertising sales agreements, partnership dissolutions, employment terminations, and restrictive covenants and real estate leasing disputes.

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The Training Wheels are Off: The Copyright Implications of Training Generative AI

With the introduction of several readily available applications, artificial intelligence (AI) has leaped into the mainstream and brought with it a host of legal questions.  Following the release in November of the now popular generative AI platform ChatGPT by OpenAI, companies including Microsoft and Google are rushing to release their own generative AI services or … Continue Reading

Supreme Court Finds Google’s Copying of Oracle’s APIs a Fair Use

A recent Supreme Court decision has finally put an end to the longstanding fight between Oracle and Google concerning Google’s use of Oracle’s copyrighted Java Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). The Supreme Court’s decision held that, contrary to the decision by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals which was discussed in our previous alert, Google’s use … Continue Reading

Supreme Court Narrows Definition of Autodialer in Facebook Ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court released its eagerly anticipated decision in Facebook Inc. v. Duguid yesterday, narrowly construing the definition of an automatic telephone dialing system, or autodialer, under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and resolving the uncertainty that had led to a long-standing split in the circuit courts. Autodialer Definition and Interpretations A circuit split regarding … Continue Reading

Was Missguided Misguided? Kim Kardashian West Obtains $2.7 Million Judgment in Right of Publicity and Trademark Suit

A federal district court in California has awarded a $2.7-million default judgment to Kim Kardashian West in her lawsuit against a fast fashion online retailer that allegedly used her persona and likeness to sell its clothing, in part by repeatedly tagging her on Instagram and linking to the retailer’s e-commerce site. Kardashian West’s suit is … Continue Reading

PATENT TROLL SUITS DOWN, NOT OUT IN 2018

Over the past half-decade, Congress and the courts have made aggressive efforts to curb the worst abuses of the patent system. In 2013, Congress passed the America Invents Act (AIA), which established the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to hear patent validity challenges outside of the federal court system. In 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling … Continue Reading

1-800 Contacts Unlawfully Restricted Competitors’ Trademark Use in Search Engine Marketing

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently decided that agreements reached by 1-800 Contacts, Inc. with a number of its competitors to settle claims that the competitors’ online search advertising infringed on 1-800 Contacts’ trademarks unlawfully restricted the competitors’ ability to engage in search engine marketing, to the detriment of both consumers and search engines. The … Continue Reading

Street Art, Copyright Infringement, and De Minimis Use

The legal protections afforded to graffiti and “street art” artists have gained increased visibility in recent months. But while street art may be entitled to certain protections under the law, not every use of street art without permission will violate an artist’s rights. A recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District … Continue Reading

Battling the Real “Fake News”: FTC Reaches Multi-Million Dollar Settlement with Internet Marketers for False Celebrity Endorsements

Unfortunately, the unauthorized use of a celebrity’s name and image has become a deceptive advertising practice frequently used by dishonest online marketers. This type of ad typically claims (falsely) that a public figure has used or endorsed what is billed as the latest miracle weight loss supplement or wrinkle-reducing cosmetic. Going after these bad actors … Continue Reading

U.S. Supreme Court Sets the Bar Higher for Obtaining Damages for Design Patent Infringement

Bottom Line:  The Supreme Court’s decision sets the bar higher for design patent holders to recover for infringement and opens the door to apportionment of damages. Parties looking to file for design patents will likely consider claiming their patents more broadly, in order to avoid the specter of reduced damages in the event the design … Continue Reading

Second Circuit Narrows ‘Red Flag Knowledge’ Exception to DMCA’s Safe Harbor Protections for ISPs

In a long-standing case brought against the video platform Vimeo by several music publishers, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently set the bar high for copyright owners to succeed in their infringement claims against service providers based on allegations of “red flag knowledge.” The Second Circuit, shedding some light on what is … Continue Reading

Expanding Reach of the Copyright Fair Use Defense

Fair use allows for the unauthorized copying of a copyrighted work in limited circumstances. Historically, examples of fair use have included copying for the purposes of criticism, comment, parody, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. Now the application of the fair use defense applies far beyond this. Two court decisions in 2015 illustrate the expanding … Continue Reading
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