I’m a car aficionado, but in my opinion and without mincing words, car commercials are boring. With few exceptions like the Young Vader ad from VW from the Super Bowl a few years ago, car commercials are stale and, more than any other genre, lack what I consider to be the “umami” of ads –… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Toyota
Which Non-Verbal Logo Doesn’t Belong?
Posted in Branding, Famous Marks, Food, Marketing, TrademarksWelcome to another addition of Non-Verbal Logos that truly stand alone (without words). Other additions here and here. The latter was generously republished by David Airey. So, as we’ve said before, pictures can say a thousand words, but which logo doesn’t belong here: My answer below the jump.
In the Brand Name Game, Honda Gets it Done the Hard Way
Posted in Branding, Famous Marks, Goodwill, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Trademarks—Dave Taylor, Taylor Brand Group In this age of fiercely defended intellectual property, it’s tough developing even a single new product name. Registered trademarks guard their brand territory in every industry and fence out their competitors. Launching a new product name can take months or years of name generating, testing, and legal process. Done well,… Continue Reading
Nominative Fair Use of Trademarks in Domain Names
Posted in Domain Names, Fair Use, Famous Marks, Infringement, Law Suits, Trademarks–Dan Kelly, Attorney Last month, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued an opinion in the case of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. v. Tabari that asked whether the domain names buy-a-lexus.com and buyorleaselexus.com used in connection with automobile brokerage services infringed Toyota’s trademark rights in LEXUS. Conventional legal wisdom is that only the owner… Continue Reading
Total Recall
Posted in Guest Bloggersby Randall Hull of The Br@nd Ranch® AKA: "Oh What a feeling". Unless you have been on a trek to one of the poles or living in a cabin deep in the woods somewhere, you have likely heard about the huge problem facing Toyota Motor Corporation and its U.S. organization Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc…. Continue Reading
The Roar of Tiger Woods in Branding
Posted in Advertising, Agreements, Branding, Contracts, Guest Bloggers, MarketingThe impact of the Tiger Woods scandal in branding can be viewed from two different perspectives. The first perspective comes from the point of view of the companies that paid Woods to endorse their products. The second perspective is how the personal brand of Tiger Woods will be impacted as the smoke clears from this… 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...