Today marks the end of the 2010 Minnesota State Fair. Sad day, but Happy Labor Day! It also marks an opportunity to talk a bit about the frequently encountered question of trademark priority, frozen trademark rights, the creation of common law trademark rights, and the frequently forgotten concurrent registration trademark tool, using my favorite frozen custard stand at the MN State Fair, as… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Federal Trademark Registration
Branding Exclamations!
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Food, International, Marketing, Non-Traditional Trademarks, TrademarksCan you name the owner of this exclamation mark branding signal? You may be surprised to learn it is federally-registered in the U.S. as a stand-alone non-verbal trademark. You may be even more surprised to learn, it was federally-registered without a showing of secondary meaning or acquired distinctiveness, because it was viewed as an inherently distinctive… Continue Reading
When Bucking A Trend Makes Sense
Posted in Advertising, Almost Advice, Branding, Marketing, Product Packaging, TrademarksUnder Consideration’s Brand New Blog has on two recent occasions commented about the trend in using white as the color for product packaging of consumable goods. Wal-Mart was the first to use this color packaging for its private label brand and the European community appears to be following suit. Using a white background has its marketing… Continue Reading
Kimberly-Clark and The Color Purple: Keeping Trademark Scope Current and Consistent with Business Scope
Posted in Branding, Non-Traditional Trademarks, Product Packaging, Sight, Touch, TrademarksKimberly-Clark® is no stranger to securing federal registrations for its various non-traditional trademarks. No doubt, these unconventional trademark assets are of great commercial value and an important part of K-C’s evolving business strategy and intellectual property portfolio. My previous post about the oval-shaped facial tissue container K-C was able to federally register in November 2007 is linked here. That… Continue Reading
The Power of Federal Trademark Registration Remains Strong in Tough Economic Times
Posted in Almost Advice, Branding, Marketing, TrademarksThe question of whether federal trademark registration should be pursued is a frequent question of those in the marketing world, especially during difficult economic times. I wrote a short piece for Create Magazine a couple of years ago, and you can read it, here. As you will see, there are many benefits to registration and some significant risks… Continue Reading
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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...
Dan Kelly
You can call me a “non-traditional” attorney, which is a polite way of saying that I did not attend law school straight out of college. I spent five of my first six years after college as a junior high school teacher. The other year I worked as an engineer for a large corporation. More...
Sharon Armstrong
Voted most likely to become an actress while in pre-school, I don’t think I surprised anyone by becoming a lawyer, the steadiest professional gig open to those with a flair for the dramatic. 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...
Catlan McCurdy
Having long been told by my parents that I could do or be anything I wanted, I chose at the age of 10 to become an attorney, as it was the career that would most likely lead me to my goal of becoming the first woman POTUS.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...
Susan Perera
Born into the world with an aptitude for science and an affinity for art I found my career path quickly chosen for me. More...
Joy S. Newborg
When I took a personality/career test in high school to determine which path in life I should follow, I was told I should either be in broadcast journalism or law. So after I went to undergraduate school for broadcast journalism and film/television, I went on to obtain my law degree from the University of Minnesota. More...
Laura Gutierrez
An attorney I am not. Though told to become one, I don't possess those qualities needed to be an effective one (I lack confrontation skills, and although I can write a great argumentative essay, I can’t argue outside a sheet of paper). More...