I’ve written in the past on the effect of geopolitics on branding.  For example, MECCA COLA and the RAZANNE Doll, are two products targeted to Moslems as alternatives to Western brands.

Will we see Red and Blue brands now?

Update: Blogger Andrew Raff points out that maybe we do already see this happening in the form

Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing elaborates on the Wired article regarding the waning power of brands.  Fair enough, but the article has something of a false premise.  Consumer protection is one of two, not the sole, rationale for trademark law.  The other rationale is the protection of the trademark owner’s intellectual property.  A brand is…

The Drudge Report is reporting that Justice Clarence Thomas is President Bush’s first choice to replace Justice Rehnquist as Chief Justice.  This has been suggested previously by The Washington Post.

Here is an article on Justice Thomas’ views on commercial speech.

Wired article about the waning power of brands.  Interesting graphs on declining premiums that certain brands command.  The argument is, in part, that product information, widely disseminated on the Internet, undermines brand loyalty.

Amazon is seeking resumes for the position of Senior Maanger of ‘Personality Lines.’  The job calls for ‘developing and executing innovative ideas and concepts with regard to exclusive celebrity-focused products on Amazon.com.’  Via Craigslist.

Tiger Woods, through a corporation, purchased a yacht, which he named ‘Privacy.’   In the contract of sale, the vendor was allowed to orally disclose that it had sold a yacht to Tiger Woods, but pretty much any other use of the Woods name was prohibited.  The vendor allegedly printed up brochures naming Woods, and distributed photos to…

Discussion of protectability of Barcelona chair here.

Grand Heritage Hotel v. Grand Heritage Hotel via the Business Journal of Portland.