This week’s blog post presents a good illustration of (1) the inconsistency of the Trademark Office, and (2) why I continue to believe that Apple’s APP STORE “trademark” is as generic as the day is long. If you’ve been diligent about following the world’s greatest trademark blog, you may remember that I wrote an article [...]
Trademark Registration Happenings: Is Red Robin Becoming a Trademark Bully?
This week’s post combines my two of my favorite things in life: burgers and trademarks. Red Robin is a casual family-friendly dining chain known primarily for its “gourmet” burgers and bottomless steak fries. It also offers a wide variety of salads, chicken sandwiches, soups, wraps, and appetizers. I’ve eaten at Red Robin on numerous occasions [...]
Gatorade Files Trademark Opposition Against Trademark Application for GREATERADE
This week’s post presents a good example of why trademark registration owners cannot merely rely on the Trademark Office to prevent the registration of confusingly similar trademarks. On August 15, 2010, a Texas resident named Charles Caudle filed an intent-to-use trademark application for the mark GREATERADE. The identification of services listed in the application states [...]
Ohio State University Files Trademark Opposition Against Trademark Application for “IN TRESSEL WE TRUST”
This week’s post is for all you college football fans out there, especially those who root for a team that has some lame nut as a mascot. Before the 2001 season, The Ohio State University hired Jim Tressel to coach its storied football program. Since that time, Coach Tressel has become the face of Big [...]
Raw Deal! Groupon’s Trademark Registration for GROUPON Challenged By Owner of GROUPION Trademark
This week’s post involves one of the best places on the web to get substantial savings on tons of different products and services. If you’ve never heard of Groupon, I suggest you immediately stop reading my blog, sign yourself up on Groupon’s website, and start receiving a new deal in your inbox every single day. [...]
McDonald’s Says: “Our Meals are Happy. Your Meals Are Not.”
Happy’s Pizza Company is a regional casual restaurant chain with approximately 65 locations throughout Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois. According to its website, Happy’s Pizza first opened in 1994 and now serves a wide variety of food items including pizza, ribs, sandwiches, burgers, and chicken wings (sounds like my kind of place). My research also indicates [...]
Has POPSICLE Become Generic for Frozen Confections on a Stick?
This week’s blog post will remind you of those summer days you spent as a kid rotting your teeth and showing your friends your purple tongue. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s a link to Popsicle, your favorite childhood dinner-spoiler and shirt-stainer. Unilever Supply Chain, Inc. is the owner of a family [...]
Oakland Athletics v. Saint Louis Athletica: A Trademark Opposition That Adds Insult to Injury
This week’s blog post comes straight out of my current hometown of St. Louis and is dedicated to everyone out there who just can’t get enough of women playing soccer. In March 2009, a women’s soccer league called Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) kicked off its inaugural season with seven teams. One of those teams was [...]
Do the Trademarks OBAMA PAJAMA and BARACK’S JOCKS Identify President Barack Obama?
This week’s blog entry comes courtesy of a guy who was looking to make a little money off President Obama’s name but just couldn’t bring himself to admit it. Before I get started, I think a little background on trademark law might be helpful to anyone reading this who isn’t a trademark geek. The federal [...]
Trademark Opposition – U.S. Postal Service v. Lost Key Rewards
This week’s blog post comes courtesy of the independent U.S. government agency responsible for spending hundreds of millions of dollars delivering junk mail and solicitations to our doorsteps each and every year. Yes, I’m talking about the United States Postal Service, the agency in charge of processing all the mail that (a) you didn’t want [...]
