— Jessica Gutierrez Alm, Attorney
The term Comic Con has become synonymous with a certain culture. In recent years, comic book conventions (and comic book culture), have become increasingly popular. Annual comic book conventions are held in major cities across the U.S. and the world. Many of these conventions are titled—officially or unofficially—“[City]
— Jessica Gutierrez Alm, Attorney
Many of us have been eagerly waiting to see whether the Supreme Court would consider Google’s potential genericness.
As Martha explained, the case began in 2012, after petitioners Chris Gillespie and David Elliot attempted to register hundreds of web domains that included the word “Google” together with a variety
Last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a significant opinion on the topic of genericness, Elliott v. Google, Inc., No. 15-15809. The opinion affirmed a federal district court’s grant of summary judgment that “GOOGLE” trademark registrations (Reg. Nos. 2884502, 2806075) are not subject to cancellation for genericness.
Genericness
Each of the seasons has its own soundtrack to signal its transition. Spring is symbolized by the chirping of robins and sparrows. The sound of the grill and the splashing in the pool announces the arrival of Summer. Unfortunately for Winter, it got the short end of the stick. Nothing says Winter is on its
Now that Thanksgiving is over, Americans across the country are taking some time to relax, reflect, and digest. I know I will be doing all three, after enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving Day surrounded by family, friends, food, and, yes, trademarks.
Even in the midst of one of the most significant holidays I still couldn’t quite
– Draeke Weseman, Weseman Law Office, PLLC
Recently, Steve wrote a piece about the branding at a Saint Paul Vietnamese restaurant named iPho. Pho is a popular, traditional Vietnamese street food – a simple soup made by combining rice noodles and meat in a large bowl filled with aromatic broth. One of the most
With all the golf coverage of the Masters Tournament and the coveted Green Jacket, this past weekend, it seemed particularly appropriate to report on a recent trademark case involving the miniature variety of golf: Putt-Putt, LLC v. 416 Constant Friendship, LLC (April 5, 2013 D. Md.).
So, I learned two things this weekend, Adam
Do you suppose the author of this article knows that Ball Park is a federally-registered brand name and trademark, not an unprotectable generic term synonymous with hot dogs and frankfurters? The growing prevalence of lower-case brand styles and visual identity has complicated the answer to this question a bit, I suspect. Nevertheless, we should probably
A few years ago, the world was introduced to arguably the creepiest fast food mascot of all time: The King. For many of us, this introduction came courtesy of a frightening commercial suggesting that we "Wake Up With The King." Over the following years, TK expanded his popularity. He went from our
Yellow Book USA, Inc. has embarked on a marketing campaign telling consumers to “Yellowbook It” when they need to search for something. Although Yellow Book USA, Inc. does not own a federal registration for YELLOWBOOK, its does use the ™ symbol behind the term on its Web site to signal to consumers that