Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino has filed a $4 million lawsuit against Abercrombie & Fitch claiming that the company’s t-shirts bearing “The Fitchuation” and “GTL. . . You Know The Deal” infringe on his trademarks.

In order to provide for a greater use of government-owned IP, the Taiwanese government revised a law last week blamed for stifling technological research. Like the Bayh-Dole Act here in the US, the aim of this new law is to encourage innovation and expand trade.

Last week Merck KGaA asked a federal court to order Facebook Inc. to explain how the German drug manufacturer lost its page to a competitor.  The page in controversy has been assigned to Merck KGaA’s …

The American University Intellectual Property Brief is pleased to announce the publication of its Fall 2011 issue.

Informal Formalities: The Government’s Attempt to Find Families for Orphan Works. Published in Volume 3, Issue 2 of the American University Intellectual Property Brief.

Capturing Clouds: Intellectual Property Issues Within the Live Entertainment Production Process. Published in Volume 3, Issue 2 of the American University Intellectual Property Brief.

The New Hawaiian Model: The Native Hawaiian Cultural Trademark Movement and the Quest for Intellectual Property Rights to Protect and Preserve Native Hawaiian Culture. Published in Volume 3, Issue 2 of the American University Intellectual Property Brief.

The Russian IPR Problem: How Accession to the WTO is Not the Magical Solution, Rather a Step in the Right Direction. Published in Volume 3, Issue 2 of the American University Intellectual Property Brief.

In another example of over-zealous trademark protection, the NCAA goes after a Boston area restaurant competition.

Skullcandy, a sports accessory brand known for its headphones, and Skelanimals, a lifestyle accessory brand targeted at adolescents, both utilize logos based on cartoon skulls. Skullcandy has sued Skelanimals over its use of this allegedly similar skull logo.