On a recent shopping trip, I couldn’t help but notice some interesting brand extensions inside and outside the stores.
My encounter inside involved Burt’s Bees . The brand encompasses a wide variety of lip balms, lotions, cosmetics, and personal body care items. (pets, too). Yet I discovered a new addition to the lineup:
— Jessica Gutierrez Alm, Attorney
For anyone unfamiliar with internet cat personalities, Grumpy Cat is a well-known feline whose dwarfism and underbite culminate in a perpetual—and adorable—sour expression. Grumpy Cat’s real name is Tardar Sauce. In 2012, when Tardar Sauce was only a few months old, she became an internet sensation after a photo of
The weekend of October 20-21, 2017, the Minnesota Golden Gophers and North Dakota Fighting Hawks traded wins in one of college hockey’s most competitive series. While watching the NCHC broadcast, an ad for the “Sioux Shop” appeared on screen. The ad explained that the Sioux Shop sells North Dakota fan gear at Ralph
— Jessica Gutierrez Alm, Attorney
We’ve spent time discussing the patent troll phenomenon in the past. Patent trolls are less pejoratively referred to as non-practicing entities, because they do not make or use the inventions covered by their patents. Instead, these non-practicing entities operate by purchasing patents on various technologies, accusing companies of infringing those
-Wes Anderson, Attorney
A bit belated, but I finally caught a screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Unbeknownst to me, the film was missing a part of the Star Wars experience many fans hold dear. And it’s all about branding.
Note: No spoilers of the film itself follow here, unless you consider a discussion
Yesterday General Mills announced that it had partnered with Fulton Brewery to create HefeWheaties: a limited edition brew. The beer is a Hefeweizen, which is traditionally a wheat-based beer, making it a perfect canvas for the Wheaties brand.
Normally when these situations arise, it is because one party is complaining (For example, Lucasfilms’ objection to
– Draeke Weseman, Weseman Law Office, PLLC
Last week, the Chicago Sun Times profiled Loeb & Loeb attorney Douglas Masters, the NCAA’s outside counsel in charge of trademark enforcement during March Madness. Licensing the official sponsorships is big business, and enforcement demands require Masters to send out hundreds of cease-and-desist letters to both accidental infringers
According to this classic 1958 commercial, Mr. Clean does everything: floors, doors, halls, and walls! (I don’t think I’d take Mr. Clean to my diamond jewelry though as the commercial suggests). It turns out that Mr. Clean has expanded outside the home and into the car wash business.
In 2009 Proctor & Gamble
–Susan Perera, Attorney
Favorite product of the week: Minnesota Gophers tortilla chips. Proving the endless possibilities for licensing your trademarks!
Not your alma mater? Check out Team Snack’s website for a full line of licensed products.
The United States Supreme Court recently ruled that agreements among associate members to license their trademarks to one vendor may violate the Sherman Act. In American Needle, Inc. v. National Football League, the National Football League Properties ("NFLP") terminated its nonexclusive license with American Needle, Inc. to make and sell apparel bearing the NFL