Companies in New Jersey and around the country file applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office to protect branding elements like their names and logos, but their applications sometimes prompt other businesses to take legal action to prevent what is known as trademark dilution. They might do so to maintain brand uniqueness against businesses that have similar names even when their product lines do not overlap. The apparel and footwear company Under Armor has initiated several such actions.
Intellectual property dispute continues for comic creator's heirs
Many people in New Jersey are fans of Stan Lee's work; the comic book characters the artist created, like Spider-Man and the Avengers, are loved by millions. However, at the end of his life, a battle began to arise over the rights to his vast swath of intellectual property. In September 2019, Lee's daughter, through the Lee Family Survivors' Trust, filed a lawsuit alleging that his creations had been "looted" by POW! Entertainment since 2001. The claim follows the death of the famed comic creator at 95 in November 2018.
