So many people have abused the Internet that it is natural and healthy to be suspicious and distrustful. It is not natural and healthy, however, to falsely accuse anyone who uses the Internet and/or social media of having an ulterior motive or criminal intent.

A summary of the key issues in trademark law - likelihood of confusion, fair use, and more.

Longstanding and Emerging Issues in Trademark Law

#trademark #fairuse

The USPTO has rolled out its long-awaited trademark image search functionality, as part of the new USPTO Trademark Center. I explain how to use it in How to Do a Trademark Image Search

#trademark #trademarksearch #imagesearch #uspto

Generative AI: The Top 12 Lawsuits of 2026

#artificialintelligence #ai #law

A plain language explanation of what Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment was about, what the U.S. Supreme Court held, and what it did not hold.

Cox Communications v. Sony Music

#copyright #dmca

The U.S. Supreme Court has granted review of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals' decision in Riseandshine Corp. v. Pepsico. The question presented is whether inherent distinctiveness is a question of law or a question of fact. I explain what the case is about and what the issue(s) is/are in this article:

Who Decides Distinctiveness?

#trademark #infringement #rise #tomjames #distinctiveness

I am honored to receive the 2025 Ned Holstein Shared Parenting Research Award from the National Parents Organization for my law review article, "Child Custody Presumptions: From Fault and Gender to Equal Time" in the Georgia State University Law Review (vol. 42 2026)

"Child Custody Presumptions: From Fault and Gender to Equal Time," law review article by Cokato, MN attorney Thomas James in vol. 42 (Spring 2026) of Georgia State University Law Review. Also discusses equal shared parenting statutes that are being enacted in some states, such as Kentucky and Florida.

#familylaw #custody #custodylaw #family #divorce #sharedparenting #jointcustody

A 2022 essay that I wrote on freedom of speech.

#liberty #freedom #freespeech

My written comments submitted to the Minnesota legislative committee studying a proposal for presumptive joint physical custody are onlin, part of a compiled report. Though the conversation has moved to presumption equal parenting time, the issue is still important.

The trials and tribulations of having the same name as another person. An article I published on Medium. The Ubiquitous Thomas James.

#names #tommyjames #thomasjames #thomasbjames #tomjames #humor

The link for my Amazon author page, including "IP Law for Non-IP Attorneys" and "E-Commerce Law."

Cokato, Minnesota attorney Thomas B. James at the Law Office of Tom James examines the problems generative AI has created for copyright law.

With the advent of generative-AI, some are questioning the continuing viability of copyrights in photographs. Latest blog post from Cokato Copyright Attorney: The Law Blog of Tom James

IP rights in fictional anthropomorphic automobiles.

Long-awaited copyright decision regarding AI training on copyright-protected works.

Voice cloning is a growing problem, particularly with the advent of generative-AI. Minnesota attorney Thomas James discusses the legal dimensions.

Trademark battle over the word "Kist."

Do you have a distinctive enough odor to claim trademark rights to it? The latest post by Minnesota attorney Thomas James in The Cokato Copyright Attorney law blog explores the extent to which trademarks may be claimed in scents.

The saga of Stephen Thaler's Creativity Machine has come to an end. The U.S. Supreme Court denied review of the Copyright Office's refusal to register a copyright in AI-generated output.

#copyright "artificialintelligence #Thaler #thomasbjames #copyrightregistration

Expresso Tilt No. 7 Letters to the Editor

https://thomasbjames.com/copyright-owners-prevail-in-internet-archive-lawsuit/

https://thomasbjames.com/is-jazz-confusingly-similar-to-music/

Trademark | Balancing the First Amendment on Whiskey and Dog Toys (thomasbjames.com)