Videos

Intellectual Property

The BKK Beat, Episode 29: IP Law in the News — Fender’s Stratocaster, Part 2

For Episode 29, Kandis Koustenis and Tim Hughes continue their multi-part discussion of Fender's efforts to protect the Stratocaster design. This installment turns to trademark law and trade dress: what product-design trade dress can protect, why trademark rights may continue indefinitely, and what Fender would need to prove to show that consumers associate the guitar's body shape exclusively with Fender. They also examine acquired distinctiveness, the evidence courts consider, the effect of wi

July 29, 2026

Intellectual Property

The BKK Beat, Episode 28: IP Law in the News - Fender's Stratocaster, Part 1

For Episode 28, Kandis Koustenis and Tim Hughes begin a multi-part discussion of Fender's efforts to protect the Stratocaster design. Using Tim's guitar as a visual reference, they examine what makes the design recognizable, which features may be functional, the significance and limits of a default judgment, Fender's cease-and-desist campaign, and the line between familiar design elements and an impermissible copy.

July 21, 2026