Toyota seems to be upset by the Chinese car maker Geely Merrie’s logo, shown above. This article indicates that Toyota has sued Geely. Interestingly, this ad for U.S. importation of the Merrie supports Toyota’s claims that Geely is falsely stating that the car has a Toyota engine.
In other Chinese carmaker trademark news, this article describes GM’s
“The Informer Talked. Endlessly” an article from today’s NY Times (free registration required) regarding an informant who harrassed Rolex’s outside anti-counterfeiting counsel.
Ruben Stoddard, the New American Idol, is suing 205 Flava (link not working at the time of posting), the makers of his ‘205’ jersey, for allegedly exploiting his new-found idol status. An incomplete copy of his complaint here courtesy of The Smoking Gun. Via Australian Legal Eye.
Denise Howell, who has bambinos on the brain, has BAMBIs there as well, wondering aloud the state of the BAMBI mark.
With regard to the AIRSTREAM BAMBI (pictured above), Airstream’s owner has a registration for BAMBI. It also claims rights in the shape of the AIRSTREAM ‘silver bullet’. A client of mine once depicted a
New addition: FLASH MOB. Google hits: 15,000. Domainsurfer domain name hits: 1. Trademark applications: 0.
Memes already being watched: WEAPONS OF MASS DISTRACTION (36,000 Google hits); and METROSEXUAL (8,800).
Update: Just came across The Word Spy 100. METROSEXUAL is no. 1, FLASH MOB is no. 2.
China Blawg on a negotiated settlement between PLANET HOLLYWOOD and STAR HOLLYWOOD for restaurnats in China.
Among the things trademark owners worry about is that their unused marks will become vlunerable to non-sue cancellation in certain jurisdictions. The article passes along the tip that in China, mere newspaper advertising, even without the ability on the
The NY Times (free subscription required) has an article on targeted advertising where Google or Overture serve ads that are triggered by the content of a website. For example:
. . . on Weather.com’s golf forecast page for Norfolk, Va., Google’s service which it calls AdSense can deliver ads for marketers who had
The most recent Snark Hunting newsletter on naming and branding has arrived, this time with ‘taxonomy charts’ of naming in the pharmaceutical and airline industries.
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has released its first decision evaluating dilution as grounds for an opposition since the Supreme Court issued Mosely, holding that a plaintiff alleging dilution under FTDA must establish that defendant’s activities caused actual dilution. Here, the Board held that just as it is prepared to evaluate likelihood of confusion
Via Portland Business Journal, an article reporitng that Nautilus, makers of the BOWFLEX exercise system, has successfully enjoined use of the CROSSBOW exercies system, which apparently has been re-named the CROSS BAR system.
Previous UDRP involving BOWFLEX here.
Information on Charles Atlas, the world’s most perfectly developed man, here.