Twitter seems to be going strong, despite early questions about whether it would ever shed the notion of being a waste of time, as evidenced by this currently running billboard ad: To the extent this billboard looks familiar (admittedly a more diminutive glass here), you might recall my questions about it three years ago: Marketing Nirvana… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Social Networking
Subscribe to Social Networking RSS Feed“Frankenstein” Class Action Suit Against YouTube Dies in Court…For Now
Posted in Copyrights, Guest Bloggers, Infringement, Law Suits, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Social Media, Social Networking, Technology- Ryan Francis, Law Student, William Mitchell Law School vs. Is he alive? Not really, but the Manhattan Second District Court recently referenced the Frankenstein monster in The Football Ass’n Premiere League Ltd. v. YouTube Inc., No. 07 CIV. 3582 LLS, 2013 WL 2096411 (S.D.N.Y. May 15, 2013). In this case, plaintiffs alleged… Continue Reading
Oreo: interactive food, interactive brands
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Social Media, Social NetworkingOreo consistently receives media attention and accolades for their use of non-traditional media. They have created numerous memorable advertising moments through their twitter account. The stand out is of course their Super Bowl power outage tweet: The ad was widely regarded as one of the best of the Super Bowl, even though it cost zero… Continue Reading
Are TV & Digital Mutually Exclusive? Not at All: Why Multi-Channel Marketing Makes Sense
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Social Media, Social Networking, Technology, Television- David Mitchel, Director of Marketing – Distribion, Inc. AdAge posted an article today featuring CBS CEO Les Moonves commenting why his network is a better fit for media buyers than digital media. One quote attributed to Moonves was: “If you need to reach a mass audience, you’re not going to get that online….We figured… Continue Reading
Evaluating Equations for Measuring Social Media ROI
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Social Media, Social Networking- David Mitchel, Director of Marketing – Distribion, Inc. At the end of my last guest post on this site, I promised that my next post would evaluate some mathematical equations for measuring social media ROI. Special thanks to Angie Schottmuller of Search Engine Watch for writing a detailed article entitled “Social Media ROI: 14… Continue Reading
Twitter Can Be a Brand Marketer’s Best Friend
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Search Engines, Social Media, Social Networking, Technology- Debbie Laskey, MBA If you’re a marketer, you probably spend a great deal of your day checking Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, and LinkedIn. Depending on your industry, you may also spend time on YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, and any number of other peripheral sites. But did you know that Twitter can be your best friend… Continue Reading
What’s the Right Mindset for Social Media ROI?
Posted in Branding, Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking- David Mitchel, Director of Marketing – Distribion, Inc. The topic of ROI in social media is one that seems to be constantly on the minds of marketers in a variety of industries. There is a deluge of information out there on the topic. “Social Media ROI” on Google brings up 24 million+ results and… Continue Reading
Canine Inspired Copyright Confusion?
Posted in Agreements, Contracts, Copyrights, Infringement, Marketing, Social Networking, TrademarksWhen we mention confusion on DuetsBlog, we’re typically referring to the well-known likelihood of confusion test of trademark infringement. But today, we’re focused on the apparent confusion many have about the important question of: When copyright protection comes into being. If you ever have wondered whether something is or has been “copyrighted,” this post is for… Continue Reading
The Pancake Disillusion
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Social Networking- James Mahoney, Razor’s Edge Communications It was a sunny day, and Richard Milhous Nixon was inspecting the troops. He came within spitting distance of the photographer pen, where I was babysitting some press people. “Holy cowpat!” I thought. “The President is wearing make-up!” Sure enough, Nixon had more pancake on his face than Aunt… Continue Reading
Inherently Distinctive Product Packaging?
Posted in Branding, International, Marketing, Non-Traditional Trademarks, Product Packaging, Sight, Social Networking, Trademarks, USPTOEarlier this month, we asked whether [yo]gurt(lab) has an inherently distinctive interior restaurant environment? This week, we’re focused on product packaging, and ask whether Spine Vodka has enough meat on the bones to satisfy the trademark test for an inherently distinctive product package design? This little gem of an image surfaced in a LinkedIn discussion where I learned… Continue Reading
Rebranding in the Social Media Age and Recent Uproar Over UC Logo
Posted in Branding, Famous Marks, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Social Networking, TrademarksBy 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
University of California Flushes New Logo
Posted in AlphaWatch, Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Social Networking, TrademarksSo, last Friday we covered this story: Critics Flush New University of California Logo. Now, we can report that the next morning, the Los Angeles Times wrote this story: Maligned UC Logo Shelved; “Time to Move On,” Officials Say. Putting aside any possible questions about cause and effect, is there a difference between flushing a… Continue Reading
“Who Owns You?”
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Social Networking, Technology— James E. Lukaszewski, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA We are in the midst of an age where all of us are completely exposed and, in fact, are owned and sold by others, most of whom we will never know. Who is selling you today, in fact right now? As usual, in America, business opportunities come… Continue Reading
What Drives eCommerce? The Answers May Surprise You
Posted in Domain Names, Marketing, SoapBox, Social Networking–Dan Kelly, Attorney A couple of weeks ago, Forrester Research issued a report called “The Purchase Path of Online Buyers in 2012.” The report has a great deal of interesting information, two pieces of which underscore points I have hammered here for a while. First, the report notes that “[d]irect traffic is critical to sales:”… Continue Reading
Trademark Civility
Posted in Branding, Infringement, Law Suits, Marketing, Social Networking, Trademark Bullying, TrademarksAbout a week ago I had the honor and pleasure of once again presenting the annual trademark review at the 11th Annual Midwest IP Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with good friend and trademark guru Paul Mussell. And happily, TTABlogger John Welch once again graciously contributed the IP Book chapter on the Top Ten TTAB Cases. One… Continue Reading
3 Reasons Why Googlers Rarely Read Anything Past Page One
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Search Engines, Social Networking, Technology- Rich Gorman, Direct Response Marketing, serial entrepreneur and innovator On one level, the field of online reputation management is easy to explain. As Cliff Stein, Reputation Changer CEO, likes to say, it’s all about giving companies and individuals some control over how they are portrayed on the Internet. Are you a young professional, desperate to… Continue Reading
Overcoming the Ostrich Strategy by Effectively Using Your Strategic Plan
Posted in Advertising, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Search Engines, Social Networking, Technology- Debbie Laskey and Ward Schendel We all learn a great deal from DuetsBlog and the legal and marketing community assembled by Steve Baird and his team. As guest bloggers on DuetsBlog, we, Debbie Laskey and Ward Schendel, recently had a conversation about the importance of strategic planning and decided to collaborate on a joint… Continue Reading
The Internet Goes Back to High School: “Groupthink” Sends Pitbull to Alaska
Posted in Articles, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Social Networking, Technology—Laura Toledo, Account & Marketing Manager at Tenrec I grew up in a very small town (graduated with less than 40 kids). Our class’s makeup consisted of maybe 15 girls and all the rest boys. We had a love-hate relationship (mostly hate). When the girls decided we wanted something, the boys would always out-vote us… Continue Reading
Will the Twitter Bird Fly Alone Some Day?
Posted in Branding, Famous Marks, Marketing, Non-Traditional Trademarks, Sight, Social Networking, TrademarksLast month William Lozito, over at Name Wire: The Product Naming Blog, reported on Twitter’s new bird logo, and the multitude of don’ts associated with the launch of it. Having so many don’ts seems a bit contrary to Twitter’s prior rather lax or laissez-faire approach to trademark enforcement,… Continue Reading
5 Things You Can Learn From Facebook About Brand-Building
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Social Networking—Debbie Laskey, MBA By now, everyone with a television, radio, computer, smartphone, tablet, newspaper, or a few friends has heard that Facebook went public. The company’s initial public offering raised an insane amount of money as well as support from countless new investors. But Facebook has something more valuable to share: five lessons how to… Continue Reading
Social Media: Lowering the Barriers to Entry?
Posted in Advertising, Marketing, Social Networking–Dan Kelly, Attorney Over the past couple of weeks, I have been watching with interest the development of a company called Dollar Shave Club. If you’ve never heard of Dollar Shave Club, this video is a good introduction (not safe for kids): This 90 second video has more than four million views on YouTube in just… Continue Reading
Wish You Were Here!
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Social NetworkingWe were so thankful to spend our 3rd birthday with some wonderful friends at our birthday bash on March 27. This is what blogging (and social media) is all about. “Meeting” online, finding some commonality, and then meeting face-to-face. Forming relationships with people whom – without some kind of technology – we may never have met…. Continue Reading
How Fashionable is the Louis Vuitton “Trademark Bully” Label?
Posted in Articles, Branding, Copyrights, Counterfeits, Dilution, Fair Use, Famous Marks, First Amendment, Infringement, International, Marketing, Social Networking, Trademark Bullying, TrademarksThere has been quite a flap surrounding the poster and invitation used by the University of Pennsylvania Law School to promote Penn Intellectual Property Group’s Fashion Law Symposium, scheduled for a week from tomorrow. The symposium appears to be designed as a serious affair, boasting an all-star cast of general counsel from the fashion industry, including those from… Continue Reading
Twittering Grievances May Be Expensive
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Law Suits, Social Networking—Joy Newborg, Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. In this day, when social media such as Facebook and Twitter is so quick and easy to use, people may forget that they are still held accountable for what they may write… and it may become expensive. Tweeting about what you are up to or how you feel normally… Continue Reading
Duets Blog Authors
Steve Baird
Just so you know, I'm all about brands and the law, both professionally and personally. I regularly annoy family and friends in retail stores by focusing on product labels—not to buy the product, but to read the fine print and ask, "Who owns these brands" and "Did they really register those marks?" More...
Brent Lorentz
Although I wish I could say my path to the law was the result of a lifelong dream or calling, it was more the result mere curiosity and an affinity for leather-bound books. More...
Tiffany Blofield
Although my initial career path was to be one of the Supremes (not the musically talented ones with platform shoes and sequins, but rather, the nine wearing sensible shoes and pressed black robes in DC), I will likely stay in Minnesota as I have never lived anywhere else. More...
Brad Walz
My law career started on the ice…as a defensive hockey player (we’re not talking professionally…and if I were, I probably wouldn’t have gotten into law). More...
Derek Allen
In hindsight, writing about creativity and the law may have always been in the cards for me. I began training for a career in litigation at an early age by finding ways to disagree with pretty much anyone about pretty much anything. In my longest-running “case,” I argued with my middle school math teacher, Mrs. Jabs, for the better part of four years over whether, even if I got the right answer, I had to show my work to get full credit. More...
Martha Engel
Although my interest in gadgetry and my aptitude for math eventually led me to become an engineer, my ad executive father and artistically gifted mother fostered an appreciation for the creative from a young age. More...
Anjali Shankar
When I was in elementary and middle school, I loved writing short stories. Creativity and imagination seem to come naturally to people when they are young. More...
Timothy Sitzmann
I have always considered myself to be a creative person. Full disclosure: I'm not claiming that I've created anything good, merely that I have created things that exist.More...
Cathleen Dahl
Trademarks and I met through a small job advertisement in the back of a local newspaper, and little did I know that I would spend the next 18 years (and counting) deriving a living from their existence and importance. More...