In many contexts of our life experience, "fine" sadly seems to have drifted toward embodying mediocrity. Consider this all too common dialogue: "How are you?" "Oh, I’m fine." Or, perhaps, "Just fine." Translation: "O.K.," "average," "acceptable," "passable," "satisfactory," "I can’t complain," "I’ve been better," or maybe "could be much better" . . . . After all, how interested or… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Nancy Friedman
Aveda, Aveida
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Famous Marks, Guest Bloggers, Infringement, Marketing, Trademarks—Nancy Friedman, Chief Wordworker at Wordworking and author of Fritinancy Imagine my surprise—as a name developer, beauty-brand fan, and trademark aficionada—when I saw this sign in my Oakland, California, neighborhood back in March. It wasn’t the prospect of a new nail spa that piqued my interest; our local commercial strip already has dozens of mani-pedi… Continue Reading
“Los Doyers” Goes Legit. Are You Cheering?
Posted in Guest Bloggers—Nancy Friedman, Chief Wordworker at Wordworking and author of Fritinancy I’m a native Angeleno who’s lived for many years in the San Francisco Bay Area. I was happy when the San Francisco Giants won the World Series last year, but I’ll never outgrow my childhood enthusiasm for the Los Angeles Dodgers. So it was with… Continue Reading
A Guest Post for the Rest of Us
Posted in Guest Bloggers—Nancy Friedman, Chief Wordworker at Wordworking; and author of Fritinancy Like you, I’m counting the days. Unlike you, perhaps, my countdown ends Thursday, with Festivus, the holiday “for the rest of us” popularized by Seinfeld more than a decade ago and kept alive through endless syndication—and through some impressive efforts on the marketing and legal… Continue Reading
Primitive & Impolite, But Non-Vulgar Trademark & Naming Technique?
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Food, Marketing, TrademarksOn a recent pilgrimage to my home town to visit the University of Iowa and to see the Hawkeyes play football again in hallowed Kinnick Stadium, I discovered that a rather rudimentary and perhaps impolite (or potty mouth), yet passionate (sorry Nancy) branding technique, is alive and kicking in Iowa City. I also learned what now appears to go hand-in-hand (or, perhaps leg-in-hands as… Continue Reading
GeeWhiz: Another Edition of Trademark AlphaWatch
Posted in Advertising, AlphaWatch, Branding, Food, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Trademarks, TruncationIn this edition of AlphaWatch, it appears another major brand owner is flirting with truncation and wants to be g too (of course, not to be confused with G2 or even G for that matter), despite the fact that the products associated with each brand might be considered complementary (assuming you’re looking to break a sweat): So,… Continue Reading
Mastering Your Domain
Posted in Branding, Domain Names, Guest Bloggers, Trademarks—Nancy Friedman, Chief Wordworker at Wordworking; and author of Fritinancy “All the good ones are taken!” Without fail, that’s the lament I hear most frequently from my naming clients. They’re not complaining about legally available trademarks—they’re talking about Internet domains. They want short ones: five letters would be nice. (Uh-huh.) They want “clean” ones: no… Continue Reading
Sharing Accolades
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, TrademarksWe are humbled to share some more exciting news with you. Invesp’s list of the Top 100 Branding Blogs includes DuetsBlog, here. Thank you very much! OnlineDegree Blog has named the 50 Best Blogs for Creative Thinking, and ranked DuetsBlog as #10 on the list. Many thanks for the kind words and the strong vote of confidence!… Continue Reading
Name That (Zombie) Brand
Posted in Guest BloggersLosing a trademark challenge is bad news, right? It’s costly, it’s embarrassing, and it can damage a brand’s reputation. And yet in one well-known instance, losing a trademark challenge didn’t hurt a brand at all. In fact, it ensured the brand’s immortality. The product name I’m thinking of existed for just three years in the… Continue Reading
The D-Word: What Ever You Do, Don’t “Describe” Your Brand!
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Infringement, Law Suits, Marketing, TrademarksFrequently brand owners find themselves in the position of wanting or needing to explain the thinking behind their name, mark, and/or brand. Sometimes the explanations appear publicly on product packaging, websites, catalogs, brochures, advertising, and frequently in press releases, or perhaps in statements to reporters, especially when trademark litigation concerning the brand is involved. Such explanations about the brand’s… Continue Reading
The P-Word
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, TrademarksIt’s a jungle out there in corporate America. A hot, steamy, ardent, passionate jungle. You’ve seen the evidence. Whole Foods is hiring “people with a passion for healthy living.” Bose seeks “people with a passion for innovation.” The South Florida Water Management District wants “good people with a passion for water.” Grant Thornton is looking… Continue Reading
The Title of Your Story
Posted in Branding, Domain Names, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, TrademarksWhat’s the first thing you think about when you’re naming a company or a product? Securing a domain? Avoiding trademark conflict? Sounding different from your competitors? All are important concerns. But I contend that the first thing you should think about is this: A name is the title of your story. Yes, you’re naming your… 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...