When you can have Little Debbie snack cakes instead: Actually, recent news reports indicate that Little Debbie soon will be facing competition again from the new owner purchasing the Hostess brands in bankruptcy for $ 410 million. With all the talk about Oz the Great and Powerful, I can’t help singing: “Ding dong, the Hostess… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Hostess Brands
Whither Hostess Brands?
Posted in Branding, Famous Marks, Food, Goodwill, Trademarks–Dan Kelly, Attorney Most have probably heard today’s news that Hostess Brands is going out of business. This is sad news on many fronts, the most significant of which is the loss of livelihood for some 18,000 individuals. Hostess Brands owns a number of well-known, if not famous, trademarks and brands, including TWINKIES for cakes,… Continue Reading
Chevy Silverado Super Bowl Ad
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Fair Use, False Advertising, Food, Loss of Rights, Marketing, Television, TrademarksAbsorbing all the television commercials in between football action on the field can be as much fun on Super Bowl Sunday as the actual game itself, at least for trademark and marketing types, especially when your favorite team isn’t even on the field. One of my personal favorites from this past weekend’s Super Bowl XLVI was the… Continue Reading
Hostess with the Leastess?
Posted in Branding, Domain Names, Famous Marks, Food, Trademarks–Dan Kelly, Attorney Among the most ingrained Christmas traditions I recall from my youth was watching the Charlie Brown Christmas Special every year. For many, many years, that Special was “brought to you by Dolly Madison.” (And it was always preceded by this intro–a classic!) Dolly Madison is but one of many brands owned by… 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...