Food & Wine: “New Era of the Recipe Burglar” (discussion of protectability of food creations – including interview with Homaro Cantu of MOTO in Chicago).
Second Life Watch: Use In Commerce?
Second Life‘s economy, estimated to be $500k a month, is now the subject of a congressional investigation as to whether taxes are being paid on transactions being conducted on the site.
Second Life branding magazine here. HT Becky.
Second Life background here.
Be Prepared: Boy Scout Copyright Badge

AP: “Be Loyal, Kind and Don’t Steal Movies” (Boy Scouts adopt copyright protection badge). Ht Volokh.
And The Name Of The Elephant In The Room Is Miscegenation
In 1934, Upton Sinclair, ‘muck-raking’ novelist, was the Democratic candidate for governor of California. Sinclair had previously run for office as a socialist, and Sinclair referred to his platform as the EPIC movement: End Poverty In California.
The opposition defined Sinclair as a communist. Some in the movie industry filmed actors getting off of box cars. The footage was presented to movie audiences as authentic film of hobos migrating to California, in anticipation of receiving hnad-outs, should Sinclair win.
Sinclair was defeated.
Here is an that the Republican National Committee is running in Tennessee that criticizes the Democratic candidate, Harold Ford. The blurring of the line between person-in-the-street testimonials, and actors reading scripted lines is, to put it mildly, troubling.
Does Buying Keywords Constitute Trademark Use? Yes and No and Yes and No
Prof Goldman reviews the latest case, Buying for the Home, LLC v. Humble Abode, LLC, 03-CV-2783 (JAP) (DNJ Oct 20, 2006), and, noting that recent cases have been alternating in their holdings, confidently predicts that because this case held that keyword buying is use in commerce, the next such case will hold that it is not a use in commerce.
Last month’s contradictory result here.
“YouTube Erases 29,549 Clips On Japan Media Demand”
SPRINGFIELD WILDCATS v. SHELBYVILLE WILDCATS

OK, Springfield Wildcats vs. Shelbyville Wildcats is a gag from The Simpsons, but, as is always the case with The Simpsons, there is a profound truth hinted at here, involving the coexistence of scholastic team names.
The Des Moines Register tells us of a dispute between the University of Wisconsin and the Waukee High School, over the use of a W logo. A couple of years ago I was interviewed by a collegiate licensing magazine and I said many brilliant things about how the Internet and regional sports cable channels, as well as more aggressive scholastic licensing programs, were upsetting the delicate balance that allowed college and high school teams to coexist with similar names without confusion. I have located the article which ran none of that good stuff but merely went with my commonplace quotes (pick a good trademark – great advice).
I can’t remember exactly what I said so I will defer to Madisonian.net for its own proposed rule for college/high school dispute resolution. And btw, their Badger Badger Badger title is a reference to a cartoon as well.
Next Year

NY Times On Second Life

NY Times (reg req): “A Virtual World But Real Money” reporting on the use of Second Life as test-bed for corporate marketers including Sony, Nissan, Aididas, Reebok, Toyota and Starwood.
The article also notes the beginning of trademark infringement in Second Life, an issue discussed by The Trademark Blog here.
