- 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
Tag Archives: James Mahoney
The End of the (Creative) World as We Knew It
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Marketing—James Mahoney, Razor’s Edge Communications Market dislocation has hit the creative world. It started about a decade or so ago with the decimation of the commercial photography business. It spread to the graphic design business a few years ago. Now it’s hitting the writers, too. The recession didn’t help, and we’ll see how in a… Continue Reading
Why Marketers Don’t Give Two Hoots about Trademark Concerns‚Ñ¢
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Trademarksby James Mahoney, Creative director/writer at Razor’s Edge Communications Okay, so I’ve read a lot of whining and agita about how marketers continually drive trademark attorneys to distraction with un-trademarkable names. And how advertisers drive those same attorneys to that same distraction with potential trademark infringements. It’s time to let you in on a dirty… 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...