While a new COVID relief bill has been signed into law this late December 2020, it is important to note two intellectual property laws tagging along that will go into effect in 2021:
Trademark Monetization Act of 2020
Trademark law will be updated in two important ways:
- Third-parties will now be free to participate in otherwise ex-parte trademark applications and proceedings. This potentially bungles up applications, and may delay trademark registrations.
- Those who sue to stop trademark infringement will be granted a presumption of harm. This will make it much easier to enforce your registered trademarks.
Copyright goes Nuclear in the CASE Act
- A new administrative tribunal will be set up to allow for quick and less expensive copyright enforcement actions. This means that your run-of-the-mill cease-and-desist threat letters will have more force and more likely to result in legal action.
- Also, streaming services will now be criminlaized.
