Marked. - Issue 056
Buc-ee's settles a mascot trademark fight, while Universal and Sony file a second copyright case against Suno.
Issue No. 056
September 21, 2026
New York
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The IP Briefing · by ESCA Legal
|
|
|
|
| Buc-ee's and Ohio convenience-store operator Coles IP Holdings reached a confidential settlement in a federal trademark case over Mickey's cartoon moose mascot. |
| § | The parties reached their agreement during a settlement conference on September 15. | | § | Buc-ee's filed the case in February, alleging that Mickey's smiling moose mascot was confusingly similar to its beaver logo. | | § | Mickey's counterclaimed in April and disputed that consumers would confuse a moose with a beaver. | | § | The settlement terms are confidential, including whether Mickey's will change its logo. |
|
| Continue reading → |
| § ESCA Takeaway |
| A settlement can close one brand fight without revealing how the parties valued the disputed identity. The second case in this issue shows the opposite posture: rightsholders are expanding an active copyright conflict to cover more works and a new generation of technology. |
|
|
| More IP Stories |
|
| § Copyright · Filed |
|
|
| Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment filed a second Massachusetts federal copyright lawsuit against Suno, alleging that its music-generation models infringed 60,202 sound recordings. |
| § | The new complaint follows a court's refusal to add the 60,202 recordings to the labels' first Suno case. | | § | The labels allege that Suno's v6 models remain connected to earlier models trained on unlicensed recordings through user outputs and preference data. | | § | Suno says v6 was trained on licensed partner content, community interactions, and its team's accumulated learnings. | | § | The labels seek statutory damages, attorney fees, and a declaration of infringement. |
|
|
Why it matters
The case asks whether a newly licensed model can remain exposed to copyright claims because of what earlier models learned and passed forward. It also expands the dispute from a smaller set of example works to tens of thousands of identified recordings.
|
| Continue reading → |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Not subscribed? Sign up for future editions of Marked by ESCA Legal.
|
|
|
|
This newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Published by ESCA Legal. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Attorney advertising; prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
|
|