When used in connection with the sale of pork rinds. Why, is that term used in some other very public way in association with a good or service of which you were thinking? Surely not. The Washington Post reports that the U.S….
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the "Trader Joe's" grocery chain is suing a guy who has spent more than $350,000 at its stores in the past two years, and many stores have put up his picture in an effort…
Buzzfeed's question, "Is This The Best Response To A Cease And Desist Letter Ever?," prompted some debate this morning, although it is one of those debates that is not really necessary (which is why we had it on Twitter) because…
Would you be confused by these marks? Look closely: Image: Consumerist.com The one on the left is the logo of West Sixth Brewing Company in Lexington, Kentucky. The one on the right belongs to Magic Hat Brewing Company, based in South…
Chubby Checker, a.k.a. Ernest Evans, a.k.a. the guy who sang "The Twist," is suing the makers and sellers of a smartphone app for Palm devices known as "The Chubby Checker" for trademark infringement. While possibly the most dramatic revelation resulting…
This decision mostly speaks for itself: The mark at issue here has two parts: a literal element, consisting of the words COCK SUCKER, and a design element, consisting of a drawing of a crowing rooster. Since 1979, [the applicant] has…
As I mentioned the other day, many media outlets have been reporting incorrectly that Tim Tebow had been granted a trademark on the act of "Tebowing," not just the term. To some extent this may have been a misunderstanding of…
Photo: AP Various reports, like this one at the Washington Times, have said that Jets quarterback Tim Tebow has trademarked the act of "Tebowing," but I don't think that's true. He has certainly trademarked the word "Tebowing" for use in a variety…
And no, that does not seem to be a metaphor: Two lawyers from the organising committee of the London Olympics have been shadowing the torch on every step of its journey across the UK to prevent ambush marketing on behalf of…
Especially given the recent Charles Carreon nastiness, it is nice to get a reminder that many lawyers are not (and need not be) assholes. Cease-and-desist letters are a frequent source of evidence to the contrary. These are often necessary in…