What is a trademark? “A trademark can be any word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination of these that identifies your goods or services.” A trademark is how customers recognize you in the marketplace and distinguish you from your competitors. There are many different types of marks that can function as a trademark. It could […]
Widerman Malek Law Blog
The Reasons Fashion is Hard to Trademark
Expensive designers that sell their clothing for thousands of dollars for one item are not very affordable to the masses, so how do people that cannot afford those prices wear clothing that looks like a million bucks? Or how does the average consumer dress just like their favorite celebrity when they cannot afford those hefty […]
The Star Wars Controversy
Here is it 2016 and everything is Star Wars. There are Star Wars clothing items, Star Wars phone cases, Star Wars shaped pancakes and Star Wars home accessories. It’s crazy! It’s hard to believe this popular movie has been a part of our culture for 39 years. Most people who say the original in theaters […]
Do I Need Intellectual Property Protection?
Intellectual property law has been around for well over two hundred years. It has been added to and rewritten in efforts to keep up with the changing times. The internet forever changed the way material is published. To protect your original works, you need intellectual property protection. The good news is that it may be […]
Trademarks and recognition
When someone needs a tissue do they ask you for a tissue? No. They most likely will ask you if you have a Kleenex and not think anything about it. Tissues are not Kleenex, but Kleenex is a brand of tissue. It has become a household word and goes to show you how important a […]
The Hype-Wipe trademark lawsuit
Companies and individuals who invent a product or brand are understandably protective of their invention. To see how far a company will go to protect its brand name is evident in a trademark lawsuit from June of 2014. It involves an innovative 12 year old and a dirty cell phone screen. While most 12 year […]
Terrible Trademark Trends
It’s likely at some point you’ve read something in a magazine or online that had a ™ by the name of a product. That is the symbol for trademark. A trademark is used to identify things that are produced or offered by a certain company, like the Adidas three strip trademark. Yes, stripes can be […]
Hot Dog! It’s a Handbag
The fashion phenomenon Louis Vuitton filed a lawsuit in 2007 for trademark dilution and copyright infringement. The case was formally known as Louis Vuitton Malletier v. Haute Diggity Dog. The suit was against the pet product company called Haute Diggity Dog. It was based in Nevada and created a product line called Chewy Vuitton. They […]
Disney And Intellectual Property Rights
Disney is one of the most recognized and loved names in the world. Going to Disney World or Disneyland is every child’s dream. They can see all their favorite characters like Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Cinderella, Snow White, Peter Pan and more. Yes, Disney knows how to create a fantasy world for children. Even when […]
Four Biggest Trademark Myths
A trademark has to be registered before protection starts. Although registering a trademark is always a great idea, protection of the trademark actually begins when the symbol or name is first used on the product or service (simply using in marketing materials is not enough). The criteria for protection includes: the symbol must be in […]
