Can you feel it? All around the country, fields are being groomed, stenciled, and painted. Tonight, the college football season begins with Georgia State taking on Abilene Christian in what could be a preview of one of hundreds of games that most of us don’t really care about. But like so many fans around the
Sound
This Little Piggy Went to the Trademark Office…
When was the last time you thought about pigs? What do you think when you hear the word “pigs?” Or an OINK OINK noise? Or what about the angelic and oh-so-American, “SOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEYY!”?
Well, the University of Arkansas contends that you’re probably thinking about the Arkansas Razorback sport teams. And they convinced the U.S. Patent and…
Baird on Branding & Trademarks
There aren’t too many things I enjoy more than speaking about the legal implications of branding.
Our friends at BlackCoffee captured a talk I gave to a group of marketing types a while back, on black and white film (thank goodness), and they have graciously posted a 34 minute excerpt, here.
Some of the topics…
Aflac Duck Speechless Over Gilbert Gottfried’s Firing
–Dan Kelly, Attorney
If the Charlie Sheen train wreck has not offered enough fodder for your idle moments, this week Aflac fired Gilbert Gottfried as the voice of the Aflac Duck due to tasteless jokes that Gottfried tweeted in the wake of last week’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Where Sheen was the face of…
Webinar on Non-Traditional Trademarks, Sound, Color, Shape, Scent & More
I’m happy to share with you that on Tuesday February 8, 2011, I’m speaking about one of my favorite topics, non-traditional trademarks, with my friends Linda McLeod of Finnegan Henderson and Stephen Feingold of Kilpatrick Townsend, in a webinar program put on by Strafford Publications, Inc. The webinar begins at 1:00 PM EST and Noon CST.
A Dickensian Portrait of Christmas Day
–Dan Kelly, Attorney
I’ve often thought that copy writers could do worse than to make a close study of some of Charles Dickens’ work. Perhaps too wordy a model for most copy, especially advertising and marketing copy, but he could paint a picture with words.
[T]he people who were shovelling away on the housetops were
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Blips, Bleeps, Churns and Chugs
–Sharon Armstrong, Attorney
I have to give a shout out to my brother, Kevin, for finding and sending to me this wonderful bit of popular culture:
Watching this, all I could think about was how many bits of the Super Mario Bros. Theme instantly evoke memories of playing this game as a kid. From the…
How Does an Apple Sound?
Brand Signals: The Building Blocks of Brand Identity
Brands communicate with the world through a series of message delivery systems such as broadcast advertising, web sites, company representatives and product interaction. These systems utilize brand signals to communicate. While these signals commonly take the form of brand names and logos, they can also extend into sight, sound, touch, taste, smell or even action…
Non-Traditional Trademarks Revisited: Feel Me, Touch Me
Tommy has a lot to offer in advancing the recognition of certain kinds of non-traditional trademarks, especially touch marks. Yes, The Who’s tune from the Tommy Soundtrack “See Me, Feel Me / Listening to You” repeats these lyrics over and over: “See me, feel me, touch me, heal me.”Continue Reading Non-Traditional Trademarks Revisited: Feel Me, Touch Me