We’re talking about the 2025 case of Lululemon Athletica v. Costco, filed just this past June. It’s a real showdown between the boutique yoga brand that made $120 leggings cool, and America’s favorite big-box wholesaler—where you can walk out with a treadmill, a rotisserie chicken, and apparently, some suspiciously familiar activewear. Lululemon is going all in here: alleging design patent infringement, trade dress infringement, trademark infringement, and unfair competitio

Today we're diving into a juicy and often misunderstood question in intellectual property law, Can you get a patent on something that’s illegal, and can you get a trademark registration for an illegal product or business. Believe it or not, the answer is yes for one, and a big no for the other. Patents and Illegality – Do They Mix? Let’s start with patents. You might think the USPTO would automatically reject any invention that seems unlawful, immoral, or shady. But sur