–Catlan McCurdy, Attorney Duets readers everywhere may recall my shock back in June 2011 when I encountered the first Microsoft brick-and-mortar store at the Mall of America. Now, about two years later, the store is still there, located right across the aisle from Apple . The crowd levels in the stores seemed close to the crowd… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Microsoft
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
Where there’s little light, we find big design hope
Posted in Branding, Famous Marks, Guest Bloggers, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Sight, Trademarks- Aaron Keller, Managing Principal, Capsule Whether it’s a natural tendency to write the underdog story or just a desire to see big get crushed by little, we tend to favor the small over the large. The economics of change have provided plenty of stories for us and plenty of small heroes to back. For… Continue Reading
Microsoft’s Brand Refresh Cements Color Trend?
Posted in Branding, Famous Marks, Trademarks–Dan Kelly, Attorney Over the years, we have documented a number of branding trends, from blue ovals, to the 3D trend, to our AlphaWatch. With its recently announced new logo, Microsoft appears to be bucking all trends. Without further ado, here it is: Did you catch that? I know. Blink and you miss it. Look, I will freely confess my bias: I… Continue Reading
New “Generic” Top-Level Domains Need a New Name
Posted in Branding, Domain Names, Technology–Dan Kelly, Attorney In case you did not yet hear the news, ICANN at long last revealed this week the new applied-for strings in the new gTLD program. If you are unfamiliar with what this is, ICANN will be expanding the number of available so-called ”generic” top-level domains (gTLDs) for use in Internet domain name addresses. A… Continue Reading
Generational Naming 8.0
Posted in Branding, Marketing, Trademarks–Dan Kelly, Attorney I ran across information today that Microsoft is coming out with a new operating system this fall: Windows 8. 8? What goes into that branding decision? I’m intrigued by the fact that Microsoft and Apple are again heading in opposite directions. Apple eschewed the moniker “iPad 3″ for its latest generation of… Continue Reading
The Microsoft Cloud is Entering China
Posted in Almost AdviceThe United States may still be leading in cloud computing sales, but China’s appetite for cloud computing services may be growing faster than the United States. Gartner found that 55 percent of Chinese respondents are willing to spend 10 percent of their total IT budget on cloud computing compared to 42 percent in Europe and 49… Continue Reading
Microsoft store brings back fond memories of Yankee Candle
Posted in Copyrights, Sight, Trademarks–Catlan McCurdy, Attorney A few weeks ago, I found myself at the Mall of America, or MOA, as Minnesotans fondly refer to the great shopping mecca. Clutching my coffee and walking as briskly as possible to the destinations of my choice, I had one goal in mind, which I infer is the goal of anyone… Continue Reading
Let the Cloud Platform Wars Begin!
Posted in Almost AdviceMicrosoft is joining the battle for cloud platform supremacy through the release of Office 365. In doing so, Microsoft joins the likes of Google and VMware to see who will emerge as the new power brokers of the IT industry. Microsoft held the distinction of being the power broker in the PC era, but the cloud… Continue Reading
Another Indication that Cloud Computing is Gaining Mainstream Acceptance
Posted in Almost AdviceIf you pay attention to the recent marketing of some big tech companies such as IBM and Microsoft, you will notice that more references are being made to the “cloud.” For example, Microsoft’s television commercials use the phrase “to the cloud.” When references to cloud computing start seeping into marketing material intended for the general public, it… Continue Reading
When Holes in Markets Can’t Be Filled
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Product Packaging—David Mitchel, Vice President of Norton Mitchel Marketing Successful brands often find holes in markets that need to be filled. There are numerous examples to illustrate this point. Microsoft found a great niche in the computer software market and their success made Bill Gates one of the richest individuals on the planet. Apple’s iPod was… Continue Reading
An Ode to the Brand of Brands, the King of Cola: Coke
Posted in Guest BloggersDear Coke: I love you. You are an incredible product. You are the Babe Ruth of soft drinks, the proprietor of the word “cola,” and most of all, the brand of all brands. Your brand is not just bulletproof; it’s indestructible—even from self-inflicted damage. Interbrand, the global branding giant, recently valued you at… Continue Reading
Describe Different
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Search Engines, Trademarks"What am I?" Every invention begs this essential question of identity. The answer is found in the product’s descriptor. A descriptor defines a thing, categorizing it, framing it, positioning it and signaling its intended future. A product that doesn’t claim to break new ground adopts its category’s standard convention. For example, a new, run-of-the-mill digital… Continue Reading
To Google Or Not To Google
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Genericide, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Search Engines, TrademarksFull disclosure…I own Google stock. I like their products and their potential. However, I am more than a bit concerned about how they use their names and trademarks. Microsoft® names its products in a traditional fashion. Microsoft is the company; names like Windows, Silverlight, Bing are clearly the products. A very logical naming architecture that makes it clear where… Continue Reading
Just Verb It? Part II: A Legal Perspective on Using Brands As Verbs
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Food, Genericide, Loss of Rights, Marketing, Search Engines, TrademarksIt is probably fair to say from my initial Just Verb It? post, the many articles referenced in that post, the substantial panel of commentary to the post, and additional interest in the topic, that at least two truths about "brandverbing" are beyond much, if any, debate: (1) Lawyers (including the International Trademark Association’s guidelines on proper trademark use) routinely advise brand… Continue Reading
CatchThis: It Might Be Called Bing, But It’s Not Google
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Search Engines, TrademarksMicrosoft is flashing its latest version of bling with its launch yesterday of the much anticipated “decision engine” it has dubbed Bing. I agree the new brand name has a nice ring (according to Microsoft, the “sound of found”), with great brevity, rhythm and cadence, but sorry, I’m sticking with the generic name “search… 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...