Three not-so-interesting circuit decisions -- TV Guide version

Here are links to 3 recent earth-(non)shattering trademark and copyright decisions.

In Schwan's IP, LLC v. Kraft Pizza Co., No. 05-3463 (8th Cir. Aug. 18, 2006), the court held that the mark BRICK OVEN is generic for . . . . . no, not brick ovens, but for . . . . . wait for it . . . . . . PIZZA!! Descriptive, I could see. But generic??? "Um, waiter, I'd like to order the brick oven with extra pepperoni. And can you get the busboy to structurally reinforce our table while we wait?" Sheesh.

In R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Cigarettes Cheaper!, No. 05-1456 (7th Cir. Aug. 24, 2006), the Seventh Circuit came to the unremarkable conclusion that the sale in the U.S. of "gray market" goods -- i.e., goods that are in fact produced under authority of the trademark owner but exclusively sold outside the U.S. -- can constitute infringement if the gray market goods are "materially different" than their U.S. market counterparts.

And in T-Peg, Inc. v. Vermont Timberworks, Inc., No. 05-2866 (1st Cir. Aug. 18, 2006), the First Circuit reversed a grant of summary judgment to the defendant in a copyright case involving the Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act amendments to the Copyright Act. The court's analysis was fact-intensive, focusing on the substantial similarity issue.