– James E. Lukaszewski, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, President, The Lukaszewski Group Division of Risdall McKinney Public Relations I’m sitting here at 7:45 a.m. moving very slowly in what is the first of four daily rush hours in this lane of eastbound I-494 in South Minneapolis. One has to wonder what all the media excitement is… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Twin Cities
The Seasonality of Materiality?
Posted in Advertising, Law Suits, MarketingA false advertising case filed yesterday in Minnesota federal district court caught my eye: Splash Products, Inc. v. Twinco Romax, LLC and Twinco/Romax Wisconsin, Inc. It is a rather straightforward false advertising case with the typical legal claims you’d expect to see, but what caught my eye is that the parties are going to… Continue Reading
3M v. Shoplet (A Post-It Brand Stick Up?)
Posted in Law SuitsLast Friday Twin Cities Business and the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported on 3M’s recent trademark infringement case filed against online retailer Shoplet. In case you haven’t seen it yet, here is a pdf of the complaint. It asserts a variety of violations of 3M’s exclusive rights in the federally-registered POST-IT trademark, including federal trademark infringement, false designation of… Continue Reading
Associated Press Sued in Minnesota Over Krawczynski Twitter Tweet
Posted in First Amendment, Law SuitsJust the other day, I read a news report commenting on how relatively few lawsuits have resulted from the explosion in the use and popularity of Twitter, especially given all the potentially actionable statements made using that social media platform. Well, here’s one of interest, hot off the press so to speak, not only for those in… Continue Reading
A Timely Introduction to Trademark Law
Posted in Branding, International, Marketing, TrademarksThis is your chance to get a solid introduction to trademark law and what some call trademarking. This amazing half day program on March 2, 2011, is being held in downtown Minneapolis, a pdf of the brochure is here. The speakers for the 9 AM CST morning session include: Stephen R. Baird, Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. (Dispelling Trademark… Continue Reading
Webinar: Strategies For Dealing With “Trademark Bullies”
Posted in TrademarksLast week we announced a trademark seminar taking place in Minneapolis on March 2, 2011, and one of the hot topics to be discussed from 1:15 – 2:30 PM CST, is "Strategies For Dealing With "Trademark Bullies." Given the special interest in the trademark bullying topic outside and well beyond the Twin Cities, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education has decided to… Continue Reading
Parking Lot Lures & Twins Brand Bait?
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Fair Use, Goodwill, Infringement, Marketing, TrademarksGuys and gals on the street waiving orange flags aren’t the only parking lot lures in Twins Territory: We’ve talked before about how some of those doing business or advertising in close proximity to Minneapolis’ brand new Target Field – home to the Minnesota Twins – appear to see advantage in using the Twins name (and now logo, and/or trade… Continue Reading
Exposing Two-Face Brands
Posted in AlphaWatch, Branding, Goodwill, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, TrademarksI’m not talking about brands that say one thing and do another. I’m not talking about brands that don’t live up to their promise. I’m literally talking about brands with two faces. One face may be confident, complicated, technical, professional, and/or formal. Let’s call him, Stephen. The other face might be friendly, simple, approachable, engaging, and/or informal… Continue Reading
Good Bye Google, Hello Whudjagiddumon?
Posted in Mixed Bag of NutsRapala’s brand new Whudjagiddumon? billboard ads are now appearing in the Twin Cities metro area, just in time for Mother’s Day: Last Summer Rapala ran billboard ads featuring the controversial tagline: More Hits Than Google: So, what is Whudjagiddumon? Here is my proposed entry for Webster’s Dictionary: Whud-ja-giddum-on [whatcha-giddem-on] -noun Another word for Plan B;… Continue Reading
Best Buy, Resurrected From the Trademark Graveyard?
Posted in Branding, Dilution, Domain Names, False Advertising, Infringement, Law Suits, Loss of Rights, Marketing, TrademarksAs a trademark type, something struck me as odd about the Best Buy logo image appearing on the brand new outdoor baseball scoreboard at Target Field, during the Minnesota Twins recent home opener against the Boston Red Sox, so I captured a photograph to discuss it here on DuetsBlog. What caught my eye was the curious placement of the ® federal registration symbol. Its positioning adjacent to the words… Continue Reading
Permission to Exploit Jennifer Aniston’s Right of Publicity?
Posted in Advertising, Agreements, Contracts, MarketingIt is probably safe to assume that Channel 45 obtained permission to use Jennifer Aniston’s likeness and exploit her right of publicity in promoting viewership of syndicated Friends television programs. That’s a deal where everyone appears to win, Channel 45, viewers, advertisers, Aniston, and the other Friends cast members who share in the syndication royalties along with Ms. Aniston…. Continue Reading
What a Crock, Pot That Is . . .
Posted in Branding, Genericide, Infringement, Keyword Ads, Law Suits, Marketing, Search Engines, TrademarksWe’re not talking the foamed footwear Crocs® that Randall Hull wrote about in his What a Croc! post from a couple of weeks ago. Instead, we’re talking slow cookers — on this snow-capped Valentine’s Day in the Twin Cities. Every once in a while a stroll down the grocery store aisle leaves me surprised when… Continue Reading
The Merger of Two Great Cities
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers, MarketingAn open call for change. Change where it counts, in brands. Don’t read this if you have a closed mind and can’t imagine a different future beyond tomorrow. You know who you are, this will make you cringe and we don’t need that on our conscience. For the remaining, take a minute to consider… 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...