Intellectual property lawyers are pleasantly surprised that Congress recently addressed long-languishing problems in trademark and copyright enforcement as part of the $2.3 trillion omnibus spending and coronavirus relief bill that was signed into law on December 27.
Specifically, Congress passed two new laws—the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 and the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2020—that will bring about changes mostly viewed as positive, with some caveats.
McCarter IP partner Erik Paul Belt comments on what parts of the Trademark Modernization Act will have the biggest effect and the impact the Supreme Court could have on intellectual property law when the Court weighs in later in 2021.