Category: Issue 439
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Rhesus Monkey Study Allegedly Reveals Link Between BPA and Breast Cancer
A recent study has reportedly claimed that bisphenol A (BPA) alters mammary gland development in rhesus monkeys, raising concerns about the chemical’s alleged link to breast cancer in humans. Andrew Tharp, et al., “Bisphenol A alters the development of the rhesus monkey mammary gland,” PNAS, May 2012. According to the study, researchers fed fruit containing…
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Iowa Kosher Meatpacking Plant Manager Seeks U.S. Supreme Court Consideration
Asking “Wouldn’t it be better, as a general rule, if judges who meet regularly with prosecutors in advance of a cascade of high-profile indictments didn’t hear the cases that follow?,” Slate court-watcher Emily Bazelon recently discussed the petition for certiorari currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of the kosher meatpacking facility…
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When Gruyère Cheese Is Not Made in Gruyère, Is It Still Gruyère Cheese?
A Wisconsin-based cheese maker has reportedly agreed, under pressure from its Swiss parent and the Swiss gruyère industry, to cease using the word “gruyère” in labeling and promoting its Grand Cru Gruyère cheese. The change, effective in May 2013, was agreed to despite a recent decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) refusing…
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IOM Issues Weight of the Nation™ Strategy Report
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has published a May 8, 2012, consensus report assessing more than 800 obesity prevention strategies and identifying those “with the greatest potential to accelerate success.” Released at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Weight of the Nation™ conference and funded by the National Academies of Sciences, Robert Wood Johnson…
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Grocers Sued Under Prop. 65 for Purportedly Selling Lead-Tainted Honey
The Center for Environmental Health has reportedly sued several grocery chains in California alleging that independent testing has shown that the honey they were selling contains high levels of lead in violation of Proposition 65 (Prop. 65). Some of the honey purchased and tested allegedly contained lead levels more than double the legal limit. According…
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EU Court of Justice Finds Certain Dutch Eco-Contracting Requirements Unlawful
The Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) has agreed, in part, with the European Commission’s challenge to requirements imposed by the Dutch government on contractors providing organic and fair trade products in its automatic coffee machines. EC v. Kingdom of the Netherlands, No. C-368/10 (E.C.J., decided May 10, 2012). According to the Court,…
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Patent/Trademark Infringement Suit Takes Aim at Grape Tomatoes
A Texas-based tomato producer has sued a Canadian company in federal court alleging that its packaging and label for grape tomatoes infringes the Nature Sweet Cherubs™ patents, issued in 2010 and 2011, and trademarks, in use since 2007. NatureSweet, Ltd. v. Mastonardi Produce Ltd., No. 12-1424 (N.D. Tex., filed May 8, 2012). According to the…
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Red Wax Seal Is Protected Trademark for Maker’s Mark
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has determined that the red dripping wax seal that Maker’s Mark Distillery has registered as a trade dress element used on its Kentucky bourbon bottles is protected under trademark law due to its strength and distinctiveness in the marketplace, thus upholding a lower court ruling that Jose Cuervo infringed…