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Category Archives: Famous Marks

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There’s always money in the banana-based intellectual property rights…

By on Posted in Advertising, Agreements, Branding, Contracts, Copyrights, Famous Marks, Infringement, Law Suits, Loss of Rights, Marketing, Trademarks

In its list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, the Rolling Stone ranked the 1967 album The Velvet Underground & Nico at number 13 – not bad for the band’s very first album.  The album had a simple cover, some would say iconic, cover:   And get this: the banana peel was actually a… Continue Reading

Are You Famous Enough?

By on Posted in Advertising, Branding, Famous Marks, Food, Marketing, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Trademarks

If you are Samuel R. Mott, founder of Mott’s LLP, apparently the answer is no.  Mott’s LLP filed applications to register “MOTT’S” for “baby foods” and “packaged combinations consisting of fresh fruit.”  (Serial Nos. 85/374,805 & 85/436,615) The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“the Board”) refused to register the marks set forth in these applications… Continue Reading

NY ♥ TM

By on Posted in Advertising, Branding, Copyrights, Dilution, Fair Use, Famous Marks, Idea Protection, Infringement, Marketing, SoapBox, Trademark Bullying, Trademarks

Last week I stopped at a local wine and beer store to pick up a bottle of wine to bring to a friend’s dinner party (but also couldn’t resist purchasing a 4-pack of Surly’s Bitter Brewer. I had never seen it before, but highly recommend it). As I walked back to my car I noticed a pile of… Continue Reading

Happiness is a Federally-Registered Mark

By on Posted in Famous Marks, Food, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Trademarks, USPTO

It should be no surprise that the famous Coca-Cola brand name is federally-registered. One of the many significant benefits of federal registration is the USPTO’s obligation to refuse registration of third party marks that are likely to confuse — most importantly, without the prompting or involvement of the prior trademark registrant. No doubt Coca-Cola will… Continue Reading

Distinguishing the Fictional From the Real: Names and Brands in Television and Movies

By on Posted in Agreements, Branding, Dilution, Fair Use, Famous Marks, First Amendment, Infringement, Law Suits, Marketing, Television, Trademarks

We have an interesting question to answer, leading us into the holiday weekend, during which I suspect a few movies will be watched by more than a few marketing types and trademark types: “Is it trademark infringement if a fictional company or product in a movie or television drama bears the same name or brand as a real… Continue Reading

Nutty News: Dear Biggest Fan, Here’s a Cease-and-Desist Letter

By on Posted in Almost Advice, Branding, Domain Names, Fair Use, Famous Marks, Food, Social Media, Squirrelly Thoughts, Trademark Bullying, Trademarks

You have to be one big fan of a company or product to establish a World {What-You-Cannot-Live-Without} Day.  Well, a sticky situation with the well-known hazelnut spread Nutella may have you rethinking your public affection. Back in 2007, Sarah Rosso (Nutella Fan) established World Nutella Day to celebrate her affection for Nutella.  Within the past… Continue Reading

The Most Famous Bottle Design, Forever?

By on Posted in Branding, Famous Marks, Food, Non-Traditional Trademarks, Product Packaging, Sight, Trademarks

Coca-Cola settled on its famous contour bottle design almost 100 years ago, in 1916, after several years of trials with other far less distinctive shapes (at least under today’s standards): Federal trademark registration data confirms the first use date to be July 8, 1916. The description of the contour bottle design mark in 1960 was: “The… Continue Reading

Oh Ketchup…I’m Just Not That Into You: Understanding the Value of Fluid Trademarks

By on Posted in Advertising, Branding, Famous Marks, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Non-Traditional Trademarks, Product Configurations, Product Packaging, Trademarks

- Jason Voiovich, Director of Corporate Marketing, Logic PD Don’t get me wrong.  My two children elevate their weekly Heinz intake regimen to near Olympian discipline.  But me?  I enjoy a good dollop with pound of fries at the Lion’s Tap, but I haven’t given America’s second-favorite red condiment a second thought since John Kerry… Continue Reading

The Most Important Shot in Trademark History

By on Posted in Branding, Famous Marks, Guest Bloggers, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Sight, Trademarks

- Draeke Weseman, Weseman Law Office, PLLC   Pantone 278: Carolina Blue What I do remember about that evening is that stores for dozens of miles around must have sold out of light blue paint, because nearly everyone had a stash, which was dumped indiscriminately over friends and strangers in a precursor to the Gatorade… Continue Reading

Changing Your Brand Name: A Game of Whack-a-Mole and You’re the Mole

By on Posted in Branding, Famous Marks, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Mixed Bag of Nuts

- Dave Taylor, Owner, Taylor Brand Group One of the big decisions prospective parents face is the all-important choice of a first name for their child. It’s the name almost everyone will use to address the child throughout his or her life. The choice will reflect heavily on the parents based on how appropriate, respectful,… Continue Reading

My Namesake Sues To Protect Its Famous Mark

By on Posted in Branding, Counterfeits, Dilution, False Advertising, Famous Marks, Infringement, Law Suits, Sight, Trademarks

Coincidentally (or perhaps by design), Tiffany and Company (“Tiffany”) filed suit on Valentine’s Day against Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco”) to protect its trademark with respect to engagement rings.  We know from our prior post regarding Tiffany’s amicus brief filed in support of Christian Louboutin that Tiffany actively protects its brand. If you are like me,… Continue Reading

Hey Brand, Shh!: Is De-Branding the Next Hip Design Trend?

By on Posted in Advertising, Branding, Famous Marks, Food, Marketing, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Non-Traditional Trademarks, Patents, Product Configurations, Product Packaging, Trademarks

A couple months ago, Selfridges, a high-end department store based in London, launched a “No Noise” campaign.  The initiative seems rooted in the company’s history; its original store featured a “Silence Room” to allow shoppers an empty area to relax from the stimulating hustle & bustle of the retail experience.  From the site:  “As we… Continue Reading

McDonald’s Trade Dress? State Farm is There.

By on Posted in Advertising, Branding, Dilution, Famous Marks, Food, Infringement, Marketing, Non-Traditional Trademarks, Sight, Trademarks

Passing by a roadside billboard recently (below is a miniature version I found in the Minneapolis skyway system), my first thought was, wow, McDonald’s is getting into the juicy lucy business: Until more focus revealed that State Farm Insurance is the one behind the ad. Look familiar? No doubt burgers and car insurance are totally different lines of business and… Continue Reading

No Escape

By on Posted in Copyrights, Fair Use, Famous Marks, Infringement

This post is probably a bit dated for the readers that are on the cutting edge of developments in the film industry.  But since that may only be a small subset of our readers, I thought this information was worth sharing. Apparently, a brazen independent film director managed to surreptitiously shoot nearly an entire film on-site… Continue Reading

BAND-AID, TM Death by a Thousand Cuts?

By on Posted in Advertising, Branding, Famous Marks, Genericide, Loss of Rights, Marketing, Trademarks, Truncation

If you were a Band-Aid brand adhesive bandage, and you were cut, would you protect yourself? Brent, sorry I couldn’t help myself, I’m still enjoying your Louis Vuitton waffle-maker post. With that intro, let’s turn another page to the Genericide Watch category, here at DuetsBlog: In focusing attention on the first item in the list shown above, to the… Continue Reading

Your Super Bowl XLVII Advertising Preview

By on Posted in Advertising, Branding, Famous Marks, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Television

—David Mitchel, Marketing Manager, ViralMarketing.Biz The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers will be playing in the Super Bowl in just a little less than two weeks. The Super Bowl is much more than just a championship game. It is time for parties, often with copious amounts of salty food being served. For brands, it… Continue Reading

Pepsi, No Coke: Branding Nonsense at Work?

By on Posted in Advertising, Branding, Famous Marks, Food, Marketing

Irony is something I enjoy capturing, as you already know, especially when it comes to branding. Take this recent image from my favorite hot dog joint in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Yesterdog: Note the vintage Drink Coca-Cola signage on the wall, directly behind the modern soft drink fountain, delivering only Pepsi products, to my great disappointment. Now,… Continue Reading

Rebranding in the Social Media Age and Recent Uproar Over UC Logo

By on Posted in Branding, Famous Marks, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Social Networking, Trademarks

By Debbie Laskey , MBA Did you see the sequels for Rocky, Star Wars, or Harry Potter? If you did, then you understand the concept of a movie sequel. Some characters are the same, and some plot lines continue, but above all, the brands remain the same. Directors and producers spend millions to make sure… Continue Reading

If only I could be a Lego product tester…

By on Posted in Almost Advice, Branding, Famous Marks, Non-Traditional Trademarks, Patents, Product Configurations, Trademarks

Santa brought me one of my favorite trademarked and patented products:  a LEGO® set! Yes that is Mr. Firefighter dousing the flames on the LEGO® tree while holding a cup of coffee.  The hero of my LEGOland! For a Lego geek like me, there was an intriguing story in the Wall Street Journal last week… Continue Reading

Nike and Adidas on the Same Team?

By on Posted in Branding, Dilution, Famous Marks, Marketing, Non-Traditional Trademarks, Trademarks

Knowing how Adidas (or should I say, adidas) jealously guards its three stripe design on shoes, and is notorious for protecting against not only three, but two and four stripe buffers as well, my eyes were drawn to this display of Nike Shox sport shoes at our local Finish Line retail store. While I suppose different… Continue Reading

I Like My Waffles With Syrup And A Little Splash of Pretentiousness

By on Posted in Dilution, Fair Use, Famous Marks

If you were a Louis Vuitton waffle, would you eat yourself?  (Admittedly, this opening line was shamelessly intended to provide an opportunity for including that hyperlink.) Apparently, this is now a possibility thanks to the efforts of Los Angeles based artist Andrew Lewicki.  For reasons that will likely always remain unknown to me (perhaps because of my modest Minnesota upbringing), Mr. Lewicki… Continue Reading