Welcome to another edition of trademark stories that are inspired by billboard advertisements:
This one was captured for obvious reasons, if you’re familiar with our interest in brandverbing:
- Just Verb It? A Legal Perspective on Using Brands As Verbs: Part I
- Just Verb It? Part II: A Legal Perspective on Using Brands as Verbs
- Just Verb It? Part III: Testing the ‘Slippery Slope’ of Using Brands as Verbs
- Managing the Legal Risk of “Verbing Up” Brands and Trademarks
Putting aside whether early October is too early to be promoting holiday wine shopping without a hint of a Halloween theme (there’s Stellaween for that), thoughts about the Stellabrate verbing?
Does Stellabrate make you want to throw a party? Hamm it up? Tanqueray? Or, count bottles?
Stella Rosa (Star Rose) has poured itself an overflowing glass of Stella-trademarks (Stellabrate, Stellabration, Stellaween, Stella Peach, Stella Berry, Stella Red, Stella Pink, Stella Gold, Stella Platinum, Stella Bianco, Stella Babies, Stella Moscato, Stella Rosso, Stella Rose, It’s Stella Time, and Stella Gets Around), but it does not own the six-letter, one-word, star of the trademark show:
If the actual Stella trademark was in Stella Rosa’s constellation of trademark rights, it likely wouldn’t need to be coexisting or peacefully orbiting with the likes of these other wine “star” marks: StellaGrey, Stella Bella, Stella Mae, Poggio Stella, AquaStella, and Buona Stella.
While Stella Rosa can continue to brandverb with Stellabrate, and grow its constellation of Stella-trademarks, without Stella, becoming a really bright trademark star isn’t likely in this wine galaxy.
Much less in a beer garden:
