My daughter’s strong interest in fashion, arts, crafts, and sewing has me wandering the aisles of places like Joann Fabrics and Michaels with increasing frequency. Since my primary contribution to these adventures is in the to-and-from, and, I suppose, at the check-out counter, I find myself with eyes wide open, being exposed to a variety of brands very new… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Notice
Going Nuts Over the Proper Use of Trademark & Copyright Notice Symbols?
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Copyrights, Marketing, Mixed Bag of Nuts, TrademarksIt was too hard for me to avoid snapping this quick photo while grabbing a tasty bag of cheese corn from the “Nuts on Clark” vendor (to better enjoy waiting for a flight out of Chicago’s O’Hare airport recently), and I trust you see what caught my eye (in the lower right corner of their signage). It seems… Continue Reading
Actual Notice and Imputed Knowledge
Posted in Almost Advice, Infringement, TrademarksMy son snapped this photo during a recent family trip to Washington, D.C. It almost has become a hobby for him to capture people in the act of ignoring a sign’s specific request or doing exactly what a sign purports to forbid. While some retreated from the water in the World War II Memorial when they… Continue Reading
IP Grammar . . . and Those Who Cringe About It
Posted in Mixed Bag of NutsLast September, in my blog post entitled "What Does Trademarked Mean to You?," I wrote: More than a few trademark types cringe when their clients or others say things like "let’s trademark it," "they didn’t trademark their logo," or "we don’t want to trademark this name," and, when they ask questions like "is it trademarked?"… 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...