A boy, a dog, and a nickname: that’s how the trademark dispute between Duke University and the estate of iconic actor John Wayne began. When Marion Morrison was a child in the early 1900s, his family owned an 80-pound Airedale Terrier named Big Duke. Young Marion disliked his own given name but reveled in the nickname … Read more
On the face of it, the rules behind the use and protection of a trademark are obvious. Once a trademark is registered, other companies are prevented from using it as part of their branding, corporate, or marketing strategies. But it doesn’t always work out that way. The truth is that trademark laws can be complicated. … Read more
A headline-making dispute between the Washington Redskins of the NFL and a group of Native Americans intensified last summer when an appeal board of the US Patent and Trademark Office ruled that the team should be stripped of its trademark protections. In a 2-1 decision, the board stripped the team of six federal trademarks related … Read more
Hardcore baseball fans were aghast last week when they learned that some of their favorite podcasts had been removed from iTunes, without notice. NBC Sports blogger Aaron Gleeman broke the news on Twitter, saying that “MLB requested several team-related podcasts be removed.” Why would Major League Baseball want to remove a source of free marketing? … Read more
A sports team effectively cannot function without trademark rights to its name. Without a federal trademark registration, teams would find it much more difficult to fight infringement cases, particularly from imported goods. The result could be reduced revenue from branded merchandise. This is why the case of the Washington Redskins trademark is so compelling. Owner … Read more
Most people know how to play Angry Birds, the slingshot-themed video game by a Finnish company called Rovio. It isn’t so well-known, however, that Angry Birds has been the focus of some significant trademark disputes since its 2006 inception. Here are two of the most notable cases. Adams vs. Hartz Image via Flickr The person … Read more
Just how many registered trademarks are there in the United States? According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), there are more than 600,000 — and that’s as of 2012. With tens of thousands of trademark applications between then and now, the number could reach as high as 700,000 in 2014. We could spend time … Read more
In 2010, 340 of every 100,000 adults launched a business each month. If you’re a new small business owner and you want to eliminate the chance of having to deal with any future costly trademark disputes, it’s highly recommended that you take the time to file an application and register your trademark with the United … Read more
The presence of trademark trolls in the world of business has been steadily increasing over the past few years. According to a recent survey, the number of trademark troll cases in the U.S. increased from 1,401 cases in 2005 to 5,842 cases in 2011. In addition, the aggregate costs incurred to the U.S. economy by … Read more
Corporate lawsuits are widely prevalent. At any given time, the average large corporation in the U.S. can be juggling 37 lawsuits simultaneously. Lawsuits can also be fairly costly for companies on both sides of the table. It is estimated that litigation costs represent more than seventy percent of overall legal spending by the average U.S. … Read more
SecureYourTrademark.com, the preeminent trademark registration law firm in the United States, is pleased to announce the launch of their newly redesigned website. “The aim of the new website is to create a better-performing, and easier-to-navigate website,” said trademark attorney Xavier Morales. The Law Office of Xavier Morales, transacting online as SecureYourTrademark.com, has seen solid growth … Read more
Intellectual Property Today™ recently named it’s Top Trademark Firms selections in its 2010 annual report. An annual publication on the trademark industry, the report provides the general business and legal community with insight into overall trademark filing activity, a ranking of leading trademark law firms and companies, and an analysis of overall industry trends. In … Read more
The Corporation Service Company recently released the 2010 edition of its Trademark Insider® report. A publication on the trademark industry, the report provides the general business and legal community with insight into overall trademark filing activity, a ranking of leading trademark law firms and companies, and an analysis of overall industry trends. In this issue, Mr. … Read more
The Corporation Service Company recently released the Q2-2007 edition of its Trademark Insider® report. A quarterly publication on the trademark industry, the report provides the general business and legal community with insight into overall trademark filing activity, a ranking of leading trademark law firms and companies, and an analysis of overall industry trends. In this … Read more