Fuct – the streetwear brand whose name sounds a whole lot like the “f” word – has been handed a win from the nation’s highest court. On Monday, after hearing the case that has pitted Erik Brunetti’s well-known brand against the government, the Supreme Court issued an opinion, which holds that the longstanding “prohibition on registration of ‘immoral or scandalous’ trademarks violates the First Amendment,” thereby, paving the way for “Fuct” and other marks to potentially be registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Rothy’s shoes might be unassuming but do not let the simple design fool you. The 3-year old, San Francisco-based brand has amassed what CNBC calls “an almost cult-like following” in connection with those very shoes, which range in price from $125 to $165 and are made entirely from used materials like recycled water bottles. Produced using a “proprietary 3D knitting process,” Rothy’s and its ballet flats, loafers, and casual sneakers have caught the eyes of venture funds and Goldman Sachs, the latter of which poured $35 million into the burgeoning young brand last year, bringing its total funding to $42 million over the past few years. 

“When there are so many haters, I really don’t care because their data has made me rich beyond my wildest dreams,” Kim Kardashian says in a new clip that, at first glance, appeared to be an excerpt from the 73 questions video she did for Vogue in April. But unlike the Vogue-produced video, in which Kardashian discussed everything from paparazzi and negative press to her hidden talents while strolling around her sprawling Axel Vervoordt-designed house, this one was created without Kardashian’s participation or authorization.  

Topshop-owner Sir Philip Green is no longer listed as a billionaire on the recently-released Sunday Times Rich List, dropping from last year’s number-66 spot to the 156 position for 2019. The reason? The list – which is published every year by the London-based publication, ranking the 1,000 wealthiest people or families in the United Kingdom by net wealth – valued 67-year old Green’s Arcadia Group, as “worthless,” as the British high street empire is in the midst of sandals centering on allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and racial abuse, store closures and a bankruptcy filing in the U.S., stateside lawsuits with landlords, and mounting debut.  

“China’s economic slowdown and the ongoing trade war with the U.S. have had luxury brands worried about consumer sentiment, but Chinese shoppers are still stocking up on high-end handbags — and sneakers,” research and business intelligence firm L2 stated in its recently-released Top 10 Luxury Brands in China ranking. Growth by luxury brands in spite of lingering concerns over consumer spending has been achieve “by adapting to Gen Z trends like streetwear and sneakers while leveraging new breed of Chinese brand ambassadors, particularly young pop idols, to promote their products online.” 

Fashion industry trademarks almost exclusively take the form of word marks and logos, maybe a specifically placed color (a la Christian Louboutin) or the appearance a truly iconic design, such as a Birkin bag. With the influx of new(ish) designers, a new breed of trademarks seems to be afoot. Put aside Virgil Abloh’s pending attempt to secure a trademark registration for the use of quotation marks and look instead at another quest by the Off-White founder to claim rights in something of an unconventional indicator of source: red zip ties.  

It is another battle of the beauty brands. In a complaint filed in New York federal court on Tuesday, “eco-chic” brand Tarte claims that its younger rival Natasha Denona Make Up – the brand behind the cult-followed $200 Sunset eye-shadow palette – is “intentionally and knowingly” making use of two of its federal registered trademarks on the same types of goods as Tarte sells to “the same class and types of consumers” in an attempt to take advantage of Tarte’s established reputation and appeal. 

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“MTA”) rejected ads for sex toys manufactured by women’s sexual-health startup, Dame Products, and has landed itself in court on the wrong end of a first amendment lawsuit as a result. According to a complaint filed by the four-year-old brand filed in a New York federal court on Tuesday, by banning its ads from New York City subway cars, MTA exhibited “sexism” and “privileged male interests in its advertising choices,” thereby, running afoul of Dame’s rights to free speech and equal protection under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

Farfetch is one of nearly 100 companies partnering with Facebook on an independent blockchain-based platform called the Libra Association and its own soon-to-launch cryptocurrency called Libra. Beginning in the first half of 2020, the Libra Association will offer consumers the ability to deal in “secure, scalable, and reliable” cross-border payments, Facebook announced by way of a whitepaper on Tuesday. The Switzerland-based non-profit is, per CNBC, expected to “leverage Facebook’s more than 2.7 billion monthly users to bring cryptocurrencies into the mainstream.” 

Adidas lost the latest round in a years-long fight over its 3-stripe trademark. In a decision issued on Wednesday, the European Union General Court upheld the European Intellectual Property Office (“EUIPO”)’s Second Board of Appeal’s decision that the German sportswear giant’s mark – which consists of “3 parallel equidistant stripes of identical width applied on the product in any direction” – lacks the necessary distinctiveness to be protected as a trademark, a blow in adidas’ global quest to secure and enforce rights in the famous 3-stripe design.