Contemplate this website.  Review this story via abcnews.com.  Ponder how political candidates’ names function in part as trademarks.  Meditate upon initial interest confusion.  Wonder whether the public is well-served by the current state of affairs where candidates promote themselves with methods borrowed from pornographers and extortionists.

Someone who may or may not be named Alfredo Versace and who may or may not be Gianni Versace’s cousin, has certainly violated the preliminary injunction from selling merchadise which infringes Gianni Versace’s trademarks (law.com).  See previous discussion of the “sacred right to use one’s own name.”

From the September 16 Wall Street Journal, page R13 (online subscription only): “Are Bots Legal.”  A good introduction to the various issues arising from the use of automated search robots including the eBay v. Bidder’s Edge case in which eBay successfully argued that Bidder’s Edge’s Bots, which captured 100,000 eBay pages a day, were…

Unlocking the Sky by Seth Shulman is the story of Glenn Curtiss, aviation pioneer, and his battles with the Wright Brothers.  The Wright Brothers had received a broad patent on wing stabilization for which they sought such a broad scope of protection that it was said if you jumped and flapped your arms, you infringed…

This blurb from today’s NY Times (online by subscription only):

“Certainly it’s hit Ralph Lauren, and I feel it’s hit Tommy
to an extent. Kate Spade is pulling back a little and
Calvin has pulled back the CK’s on a lot of things.” – Kal Ruttenstein of Bloomingdale’s, on the decline in designer logos.

The…

This via Rick on re-branding Britain.

Coincidental to the blurb on Yakult below, I just learned of the Ninth Circuit’s recent case discussing fame, Thane v. Trek, in this case, the fame of the TREK mark used for mountain bikes.  To clarify my comments below, fame is and should be interpreted differently when determining whether there is infringement, or dilution…

Via NameProtect, an article from The Guardian re FIFA’s attempts to prevent “ambush marketing,” by which advertisers refer to events such as the World Cup, where the organizers of such events have sold “endorsement” rights.  In this case, VISA referred to the World Cup and in FIFA’s view, implied an endorsement by FIFA.