tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062178474573731772024-03-02T09:29:33.310-08:00Trademark Blog | TMExploring the latest news in trademark issues in North America.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-67183709936438613472018-02-26T13:48:00.000-08:002018-05-17T13:51:40.910-07:00Canada's Trademark Laws with Significant ChangesCanada will be making the most significant changes to their TM law i nearly 50 years.<br />
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Some of the key changes to Canada’s trademark law and their impact include the following:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Trademark applications will be simplified</li>
<li>The definition of a trademark will be greatly expanded</li>
<li>It will finally be possible to divide applications in Canada, which will be of strategic assistance during prosecution and in some oppositions.</li>
<li>A Declaration of Use will no longer be required. </li>
<li>The term of registration will be reduced from 15 to 10 years.</li>
<li>Canada will become a member of the Madrid Protocol.</li>
<li>Third party correspondence (i.e, Letters of Protest) will be permitted during prosecution. </li>
<li>The government registration fee will be eliminated.</li>
</ul>
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For more insight visit: http://www.smart-biggar.com/en/articles_detail.cfm?news_id=1356<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-87638214028253742842017-12-11T09:10:00.000-08:002018-05-17T09:12:38.180-07:00The basics of trademark law UKIPO<div class="gated-content" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">
<div class="article-body text-clippable" data-content-slug="5ee963fb-60ee-416a-a8aa-074bcb50c9bc" data-content-type="Article" data-firm-ref="2702" data-friendly-name="The basics of trademark law" data-integrity-check="548251CB7FA14F30587F8B34B4FF2484" id="lex-article-body" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Roboto, sans-serif;">Excellent Resource on UKIPO, TM law. </span></div>
<div class="article-body text-clippable" data-content-slug="5ee963fb-60ee-416a-a8aa-074bcb50c9bc" data-content-type="Article" data-firm-ref="2702" data-friendly-name="The basics of trademark law" data-integrity-check="548251CB7FA14F30587F8B34B4FF2484" id="lex-article-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; line-height: 25.5px;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke: 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Roboto Slab"; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">What is a trade mark?</strong>In the UK, the trademark regime is predominantly governed by the Trade Marks Act 1994, and is largely harmonised the EU trade mark law. Section 1 of this Act defines a trade mark as:<br />"any sign capable of being represented graphically which is capable of distinguishing goods or services of one undertaking from those of other undertakings<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">.</em>"<br />A trade mark must be:</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Roboto Slab"; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">1. A sign</strong><br /><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">2. Capable of being graphically represented</strong> -<br /><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">3. Capable of distinguishing goods or services of one undertaking from those of other undertakings</strong> </blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Roboto Slab"; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<b><br /></b><b>T</b>hree options when it comes to applying to register a trade mark:<ol style="-webkit-text-stroke: 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Roboto Slab"; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0.7em;">Firstly, you can register a trade mark by applying to the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (abbreviated to the UKIPO). </li>
</ol>
<ol style="-webkit-text-stroke: 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Roboto Slab"; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0.7em;">The second option is to file an application with the EU Intellectual Property Office (abbreviated to the EUIPO). </li>
</ol>
<ol style="-webkit-text-stroke: 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Roboto Slab"; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0.7em;">An application can be made using the Madrid Protocol. </li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke: 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: #333333; font-family: Roboto Slab; font-size: 15px;">For more insight visit:<a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/goog_809468072"> </a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto Slab;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke: 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); font-size: 15px;"><a href="https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=5ee963fb-60ee-416a-a8aa-074bcb50c9bc">https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=5ee963fb-60ee-416a-a8aa-074bcb50c9bc</a></span></span></div>
</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-28700002871155505282017-10-16T10:39:00.000-07:002017-10-16T10:39:34.571-07:00Should Australia TM 'UGGS'?As fine as French 'Champagne', some are in Australia are advocating for the TM of 'UGGS'. Here's the read over at the NYT:<br />
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<a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/06/world/australia/uggs-trademark-australia.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/06/world/australia/uggs-trademark-australia.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-18792315661617935512017-09-11T10:40:00.000-07:002017-10-16T10:41:12.982-07:00Biggest Questions Surrounding TM Law todayThe biggest questions for TM lawyers in the US to keep an eye out for according this three part series.<br />
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<a href="https://www.law360.com/articles/958500/the-biggest-open-questions-in-trademark-law-part-1">https://www.law360.com/articles/958500/the-biggest-open-questions-in-trademark-law-part-1</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-62999491973861016212017-08-28T10:42:00.000-07:002017-10-16T10:44:03.951-07:00Fight Neo-Nazis with TM infringement?Im the wake of the sudden explosion of public displays of racial hatred at the hands of neo-Nazis and white supremacists, some lawyers are using their power for good ;) in a curious idea to us TM law as the tool.<br />
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Here's more: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/Blog/detail.aspx?g=4a41f479-9cc2-4cb7-8f64-90de7e1e961f">http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/Blog/detail.aspx?g=4a41f479-9cc2-4cb7-8f64-90de7e1e961f</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-42123167602070555542016-09-26T11:08:00.001-07:002016-09-26T11:08:20.334-07:00Writers Copyright SummaryA great ten post contribution that you can read to give you a summary of copyright law with the writer/creator in mind.<br />
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<ul class="posts" style="background-color: white; border-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2; list-style: none none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -15px;">
<li style="background: none; border-width: 0px; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0.25em 0px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0.25em 1.3em;"><a href="http://christianwritersmarketplace.blogspot.ca/2016/09/copyrights-for-photography-part-10.html" style="color: #33aaff;">COPYRIGHTS FOR PHOTOGRAPHY - PART 10</a></li>
<li style="background: none; border-width: 0px; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0.25em 0px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0.25em 1.3em;"><a href="http://christianwritersmarketplace.blogspot.ca/2016/09/copyright-websites-part-9.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">COPYRIGHT WEBSITES - PART 9</a></li>
<li style="background: none; border-width: 0px; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0.25em 0px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0.25em 1.3em;"><a href="http://christianwritersmarketplace.blogspot.ca/2016/09/copyright-law-part-8.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">COPYRIGHT LAW - PART 8</a></li>
<li style="background: none; border-width: 0px; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0.25em 0px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0.25em 1.3em;"><a href="http://christianwritersmarketplace.blogspot.ca/2016/09/copyright-law-part-6.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">COPYRIGHT LAW - PART 7</a></li>
<li style="background: none; border-width: 0px; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0.25em 0px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0.25em 1.3em;"><a href="http://christianwritersmarketplace.blogspot.ca/2016/09/copyright-law-part-6_19.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">COPYRIGHT LAW - PART 6</a></li>
<li style="background: none; border-width: 0px; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0.25em 0px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0.25em 1.3em;"><a href="http://christianwritersmarketplace.blogspot.ca/2016/09/copyright-law-part-4.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">COPYRIGHT LAW - PART 5</a></li>
<li style="background: none; border-width: 0px; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0.25em 0px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0.25em 1.3em;"><a href="http://christianwritersmarketplace.blogspot.ca/2016/09/what-cannot-be-copyrighted.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">WHAT CANNOT BE COPYRIGHTED? - PART 4</a></li>
<li style="background: none; border-width: 0px; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0.25em 0px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0.25em 1.3em;"><a href="http://christianwritersmarketplace.blogspot.ca/2016/09/copyright-law-part-3.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">COPYRIGHT LAW - PART 3</a></li>
<li style="background: none; border-width: 0px; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0.25em 0px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0.25em 1.3em;"><a href="http://christianwritersmarketplace.blogspot.ca/2016/09/copyright-law-part-2.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">COPYRIGHT LAW - PART 2</a></li>
<li style="background: none; border-width: 0px; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0.25em 0px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0.25em 1.3em;"><a href="http://christianwritersmarketplace.blogspot.ca/2016/09/copyright-law-part-1.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">COPYRIGHT LAW - PART 1</a></li>
</ul>
<ul class="posts" style="background-color: white; border-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2; list-style: none none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -15px;">
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-37583625699003669802016-06-10T11:12:00.002-07:002016-06-10T11:12:32.742-07:00More on digital TM infringement The rise of the digital age presents new challenges for trademark law. The ongoing discussion to keep up legislation to match technology is ever evolving, and if you stop for a moment, laws will fall further and further behind.
An article on 3D printing and TM.
<blockquote>Trademark law arose in a world of physical goods to protect manufacturers and prevent consumer confusion as to who manufactured the goods. In a digital world, manufacturing will increasingly be done, if at all, by individuals with 3D printers. ... Where consumers care about the quality of a digital file, trademark law can protect consumers from being deceived by indicia external to the file. But if purchasers are not confused about the source of the digital file based on external indicia, courts should channel any other potential claims (if any) to other areas of intellectual property law.</blockquote>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://patentlyo.com/patent/2016/06/digital-trademark-infringement.html">http://patentlyo.com/patent/2016/06/digital-trademark-infringement.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-12769404949697832742016-05-09T11:15:00.000-07:002016-06-10T11:18:35.264-07:00TM for Morality or Fair Competition?An opinion piece in the NYT discussing trademark law and its applications/purpose. Is it to be used as a barometer on morality? Or is it built to support fair competition?
Examples include the ongoing debate for the Washington Redskins name, among others.
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/05/04/redskins-and-other-troubling-trademarks/trademark-law-promotes-fair-competition-not-morality">http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/05/04/redskins-and-other-troubling-trademarks/trademark-law-promotes-fair-competition-not-morality</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-35502421596907592592015-09-15T11:22:00.000-07:002016-06-10T11:24:18.975-07:00Google Adwords TM infringement in CanadaAn interesting ruling in Canada on TM infringements and Google Adwords. A battle between two community colleges erupted, with one seeking damages because the other used their name/brand in Google Adwords ads.
The ruling states there is no TM infringement. The British Columbia Supreme Court decided that the use of a competitor’s trademarks in Google AdWords does not constitute infringement.
<a href="http://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2015/2015bcsc1470/2015bcsc1470.html#_Toc427662205">http://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2015/2015bcsc1470/2015bcsc1470.html#_Toc427662205</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-52110833450545490212014-04-16T09:35:00.000-07:002014-04-16T09:35:17.162-07:00Canada's TM to get overhaul in new omnibus billThe Conservative government tabled Bill C-31, the Economic Action Plan 2014, No. 1, the most important changes to the Trade-marks Act since 1953. Included in the omnibus bull will be significant changes to Canada's TM laws.
Without amendments, the legislation changes include registrations granted in the absence of use anywhere, this would permit enforcement of trademark rights anywhere in Canada regardless of whether the TM has previously been used in Canada or abroad.
<blockquote>Although the proposed changes are intended to anticipate Canada's accession to the Madrid Protocol, the Nice Agreement, and the Singapore Treaty, key elements of the trademark section of Bill C-31 have little or nothing to do with these treaties. Last year, the Canadian government introduced Bill C-8, the Combating Counterfeit Products Act, which dealt with the creation of a "request for assistance" to deal with counterfeits, and also proposed updating certain aspects of the Trade-marks Act. Bill C-31 repeats many of the non-counterfeit-related changes proposed in Bill C-8, but adds a number of important changes to trademark laws and practice. </blockquote>
<a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&DocId=6495200&File=4&Col=1">The Bill C-31 in full.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-92200080150257665302014-04-10T09:25:00.000-07:002014-04-16T09:29:03.839-07:00TM Duchess Kate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedBwrZrznjdSkz2yHz8cJev1dvE_kDufOCbHmozvmik249t5jbe6pBtxPtlzlIZtbgQlkGPQvedIi_sJKFkS1PDt9mDDTuUDMNw8pK5LIxyd8rL696VNrDiAfxQsj9dMB4XpVH6UsDO4/s1600/FP_7580669_BARM_Dutchess_25_36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedBwrZrznjdSkz2yHz8cJev1dvE_kDufOCbHmozvmik249t5jbe6pBtxPtlzlIZtbgQlkGPQvedIi_sJKFkS1PDt9mDDTuUDMNw8pK5LIxyd8rL696VNrDiAfxQsj9dMB4XpVH6UsDO4/s320/FP_7580669_BARM_Dutchess_25_36.jpg" /></a></div> At the beginning of the month, James’s Palace confirmed that Kate Middleton’s charity, The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, has applied to the UK Patent and Trademark Office to trademark a wide range of goods and services in her name.
Goods with the foundation’s name, changed to use the Duchess’s title after the royal wedding, has been registered in different territories around the world. The move offers some protection over the royal name, but also protects millions of revenue dollars for the charity.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-77290557271408936572014-02-19T12:47:00.001-08:002014-02-19T12:47:38.830-08:00Interesting Swiss SC Ruling on TM
<blockquote>In a September 30 2013 decision (4A_128/2013) the Federal Supreme Court ruled on the extent to which a trademark in use may differ from its registration in order to preserve the rights attached to it. The decision shows that the respective scope is very limited.
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For more visit: http://www.internationallawoffice.com/newsletters/detail.aspx?g=56278914-df66-4b6c-a2a2-751869d055a3Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-71592756048507782362014-02-17T12:49:00.000-08:002014-02-19T12:50:49.091-08:00Comedy Central Starbucks ParodyMany of us may have said it, especially coffee aficionados, labelling coffee juggernaut Starbucks as 'Dumb Starbucks'. Well a comedian took the idea even further and opened up a parody shop with the same Starbucks logo but with the 'Dumb' attached to the name. It was subsequently shut down (over health violations). The comedian in charge contends that the name is legal falling under parody use. Does that work in this case? More here.
http://www.ibtimes.com/dumb-starbucks-coffee-trademark-law-brilliant-parody-or-blatant-infringement-1554483Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-42668257713024473112013-11-29T12:52:00.000-08:002014-02-19T12:52:51.586-08:00TM Application Being Voided?Is your trademark application at risk of being voided? Read on for more in this article:
http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=17845121-3871-4f37-8ded-08ac70b3353fUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-1468443200298359712012-11-01T14:51:00.000-07:002012-11-15T14:51:35.689-08:00Simplicity of Copyright in AmericaGot $30 bucks? Then copywriting your written work is at your fingertips, almost literally. Over the next month we will explore what it takes to register a work with the US Copyright office. Details to come.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-46021798644889901222011-07-05T13:07:00.000-07:002011-07-05T13:07:00.858-07:004 Trademark TipsHave a read, a nice intro: <a href="http://lawyerist.com/trademark-law-branding-tips/">http://lawyerist.com/trademark-law-branding-tips/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-21860112077461264032011-06-27T12:30:00.000-07:002011-06-27T12:39:10.519-07:00To pass or quash? America Invents Act ChangesIf you're an entrepreneur/inventor and you have a great idea, the fact you have a patent or will get one is irrelevant to investors. Why?<br /><br />a) patents can be stolen (then tied up in courts by bigger firms);<br />b) there's a two year wait on applications thereby making some inventions obsolete by the team they're released.<br /><br />It's the latter that is being addressed in a bill put forward to the House. Currently the backlog at the U.S. Patent office is around 700,000 people ahead of you in line.<br /><br />Congress is expected to vote this week on a patent reform bill that would change the rules about who gets to file for a patent. Republican members of Congress from California are split over the measure.<br /><br />That legislation is the America Invents Act. Its cosponsors include California Republican congressmen Darrell Issa and Elton Gallegly.<br /><br />It’s opposed by a bipartisan group of House members that includes Dana Rohrabacher of Huntington Beach. <br /><br /><br />We'll keep you posted on development on the House results.<br /><br />Some more thoughts:<br /><br />Pro:<br />http://www.chamberpost.com/2011/06/pass-the-america-invents-act/<br /><br />Con:<br />http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-a-budget/167565-the-america-invents-act-is-bad-for-the-economyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-38933482877492158432011-05-19T21:08:00.000-07:002011-05-19T21:10:58.838-07:00What TLDs have to do with TM?Copyright notices should go out to all major brans as ICANN beings their gTLD process.<br /><br />Too much web jargon for you?<br /><br />Let me break it down.<br /><br />The TLD, or top level domain, is everything to the right of the last period in your domain name. <br /><br />www.example.com, the TLD is .com<br /><br />www.example.edu, the TLD is.edu<br /><br />http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtld-program.htm<br /><br />ICANN is now going to permit applications for any number of iterations for new TLDs. <br /><br />That means you could conceivable get .cars, .meat, .sex, etc.<br /><br />You could also apply for .apple, .ibm, etc.<br /><br />Most brandable corporations, especially ones with three letters in the name, are aware of the change. But I'm willing to bet there's going to be a slew of infringement cases hitting courtrooms as people try to capitalize on sleepy brand managers.<br /><br />Certainly a boon of work for TM attorneys....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-19189420784706048542011-04-04T19:26:00.000-07:002011-05-23T11:53:59.935-07:00Google Bids Nortel PatentsHow much would you pay for a bunch of patents? REmember, if you're google, you do'nt really need the patents, you could just rip em off and sink the small company you stole from in court over the course of 15 years. <br /><br />Ok, that's not the best way to go about protecting patents and TMs', but how much would you pay for a slew of tech patents?<br /><br />Google is bidding on Nortel's patent portfolio to a tune of 900 million. That's only bid one....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-14710222692448987402011-03-12T14:12:00.001-08:002011-03-12T14:13:25.802-08:00Going online with Apps and TMI stumbled across this website, that many of you frequent often, that keeps tab on TM online (I believe they are broader than the internet though.)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.chillingeffects.org/weather.cgi?WeatherID=648">http://www.chillingeffects.org/weather.cgi?WeatherID=648</a><br /><br />Check out the interest charts ont he requests by many companies to Google regarding the unauthorized uses of TM in the Andriod market. <br /><br />Some win, some dont.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-46476190384228196372011-03-01T14:10:00.000-08:002011-03-12T14:11:00.015-08:00March MadnessErrr, I mean the third month of the year madness sporting event!<br /><br /><br />http://www.jdsupra.com/post/documentViewer.aspx?fid=2276635c-2434-4ec9-855e-7a63fb98173bUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-18929482188412342342011-02-17T10:14:00.000-08:002011-05-23T11:53:59.935-07:00Most patents in 2010?IBM continued its streak of top spot with the most patents awarded to any company by the USPTO. IBM was first with 5,896 patents, Samsung came in second with 4,551 patents, and Microsoft was third with 3,094 patents. Also in the top 10, Intel was eighth with 1,653 patents and HP was 10th with 1,480 patents. Apple gained 563 new patents in 2010 and ranked 46th.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-69538077887369569632011-02-16T07:49:00.000-08:002011-02-16T07:49:00.145-08:00Utah Home of Interesting Search TM SuitsAre you familiar with this piece of <a href="http://le.utah.gov/~2009/bills/hbillint/hb0450.htm">legislation</a> that's poised to be law? Utah is home of whacky things, but this one in particular will prove to be a game changer in th eonline world. <br /><br />In particular, Google is the one affected. Essentially, anybody who wants to compete against a particular brand name online can do so with Adwords. You know, the ads on the side of google's search results? Well you can't actually put the brand name in the ad itself, but competitors can certainly compete for real estate for targeted brands. <br /><br />Well big bran dnames don't like it, they've tried to force competitors out of the paid search engine. Geico actually tried to sue Google to force them to put only GEICO related search results in their natural organic placements. Essentially they tried to force Google to put all of their Geico web info for free at the top of the search results. They lost. <br /><br />But it will still be interesting to see how the future suits going forward against competitors from brands. <br /><br />This may be a case of Utah governors having little concept of how the internet works and unwilling to even adopt basic free market principles. But then again, this isn't an <a href="http://www.discusseconomics.com/">economics blog</a>, but one discussing TM, patents, and the like.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-4917937410465478552011-02-11T07:47:00.000-08:002011-02-11T07:49:11.156-08:00Sarah Palin Tries to patent namehttp://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/04/us-palin-trademark-idUSTRE7135WI20110204<br /><br />True story. That's how vain she is. Well, actually it's a way to protect her income. But I do'nt care how ridiculous she is, and those who support her, the question I'm interested in is whether she'll eventually be successful in a TM.<br /><br /><blockquote>"Registration is refused because the applied-for mark, SARAH PALIN, consists of a name identifying a particular living individual whose consent to register the mark is not of record," the US patent department said.</blockquote><br /><br />No word if she wants to patent guns, war, and capitalism.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106217847457373177.post-38991896267181521612011-02-02T14:08:00.000-08:002011-05-23T11:53:59.935-07:00Changes to Patent LawsDo we need them? Usually policies / legislation play catch up to the real world around them. <br /><br />Check out this link: http://c4sif.org/2011/02/how-to-improve-patent-copyright-and-trademark-law/<br /><br />Some of their list of proposed changes include:<br /><br /><blockquote> * Raise the bar for proving “consumer confusion”<br /> * Abolish “antidilution” protection<br /> * In fact, abolish the entire federal trademark law, as it is unconstitutional (the Constitution authorizes Congress to enact copyright and patent laws, but not trademark law)<br /></blockquote><br /><br /><br />They also have thoughts on copyright and patent law. <br /><br />Thoughts?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0