LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION®

Trademarks Bring World Peace?

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The online Prague Daily Monitor reports Slovak Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan told CTK that he is not opposed to Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek’s idea of Czechs and Slovaks using “Czechoslovakia” as a trademark to promote both countries abroad, but will wait for concrete proposals. “If a rational, very concrete way were found, I think it could be useful,” Kukan told CTK in New York on Monday. Wow. This brings questions of geographic misdescriptiveness to…

Written by:
Ron Coleman

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Posted on Copyright Law LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION®

American Graffiti

Graffiti: Art or crime? And by crime, I don’t mean mere vandalism. I mean criminally bad legal-decision-making. The New York Law Journal reports: On July 18, 2005, plaintiff fashion company’s founder, who began his career as a graffiti artist, obtained a permit to host an Aug. 24, 2005, art exhibition at which other artists would paint graffiti on mock two-dimensional subway cars. In an Aug. 15, letter the City of New York revoked the permit,... Read more

Posted on Culture Clash

Cleaning Up, or Getting Their Clocks Cleaned?

I stumbled on this article in Slate and it seemed to contradict my point in one of my favorite posts. On reflection I realized that actually the two pieces actually harmonize quite well. It did make me wonder whatever happened in the ClearPlay litigation. As the company’s site describes it, ClearPlay has developed a unique DVD parental control technology that enables users to skip and mute segments of movies that contain graphic violence, nudity, and... Read more

Posted on Everything else

We Who Were There Salute You in Our Leisure Suits

IP … trademarks … branding … design … interior design … awful interior design of the 1970’s! Maybe I don’t have to sweat topicality after all. I am sorry, but if you really, really need to laugh at your desk like a howling idiot — and you won’t really laugh loud if you weren’t there — take a five minute tour with James Lilek’s Interior Desecrators. This is the book he made (last fall). It’s... Read more

Posted on Section 2(a)

Political Correctness Trademark Battle Continues

We haven’t heard the last of the fight over the Washington Redskins trademark fight. The AP reports that the earlier decision rejecting the challenge based partly on laches has been reversed in part. American Indian representatives don’t like the trademarks because “they are disparaging and bring Native Americans into disrepute.” Six and ten last season? Can’t blame them. On the other hand, if that kind of record gets the Indians upset, shouldn’t the Cowboys be... Read more

Coca-Cola Classic
Posted on Brand Management and Branding Fair Use Free Expression Trademarks and trademark law

Have a Coke and a Trial

India doesn’t have a First Amendment, as such, but from what I read its free speech protections are similar to those in the West. So the use of threatening a trademark suit to chill criticism should distress everyone who’s not a complete Coke head. Not that such threats don’t always work; they frequently do. But we shouldn’t like it or “tolerate” it. Coca-Cola: Please limit your trademark litigation threats to the Real Thing. And save your... Read more

Posted on Everything else

Likelihood of Revelation

The last week or so has been light on blogging, largely because of technological issues but also because of a slow week in topical news plus the occasional need to practice law around here. It doesn’t get better too fast because we will be out of the reality-based loop due to our office’s observance of the Jewish festival of Shavuoth, the celebration of the Revelation that made the Jews the chosen nation. (Nice! Right?) See... Read more

Posted on Culture Clash

Good Deed for the Day: Helping Old Producers Cross Agents

In far-off Hong Kong, the Motion Picture Association has created a Boy Scout merit badge on copyright [original link lost, sorry — RDC]: Boy Scouts in Hong Kong now can earn merit badges for learning about the wonders of copyright law–at least the version described by the Motion Picture Association . . . It’s not unprecedented for one industry to create a merit badge. The Boy Scouts currently offers a long list of badges including “American Business,” “American Labor,”... Read more