The Bush Adminstration is trumpeting hydrogen-fueled cars.  It had an “initiative” branding hydrogen as FREEDOM FUEL and hydrogen-powered cars as FREEDOMCARS. 

Before satirists had enough time to ask “Freedon from what,  the SUVs that currently receive tax preferences?,” the Adminstration pulled the name.  This article says it’s because Amway sells a fuel-additive named FREEDOM FUEL. 

What the article missed is that the Stuart Energy Company had the prescience to file trademark applications for FREEDOM FUEL for pretty much everything that has to do with hydrogen fuel cells and cars in Canada in July and in the U.S. in August, six months before the President’s speeches on the topic.  Check it out here in the metasearch.

Amway is a whole ‘nother story.

Let’s take the situation of the town of Paisley (see below).  It can’t prevent other people from producing paisley patterns because the patterns are in the public domain, and it can’t keep them from describing the patterns as paisley, because the term is now descriptive.  What it might consider in order to recapture some equity from having developed the paisley pattern, is to develop a new certification trademark for goods originating in Paisley, and attempt to teach the public that paisleys from Paisleys are better.  As a model for that, take a look at the new certification mark from Venice depicting its winged lion (above), described in this article (in Italian) and this article, in AP newswire.

The town of Paisley, Scotland, home of the Paisley design, is upset by a Japanese firm seeking rights in the name PAISLEY MUSEUM, according to this somewhat confusing article.  Original designs would themselves have entered the public domain name long ago.  The Paisley pattern itself is based on Indian motifs.  A good history on Paisley is here (source of the illustration above).

Thursday’s Wall St. Journal ran an article (subscription only) on negotiations taking place at the World Trade Organization regarding appellation of origin (or certification marks, as they’re known in the U.S.).  Common certification marks in the U.S. include ROQUEFORT CHEESE (see below) and PARMA HAM (see here for more on info on Parma ham disputes and here for Parma Ham recipes and the source of the photo above).

The article suggest s that if European negotiators are successful, and the number of recognized appellations is increased, then U.S. food purveyors will have to re-label their products, as what they sell may not conform with the specifications of the certifying entity.