Everyone’s favorite beloved high-quality American brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev S.A., a société anonyme legally organized under the laws of Belgium, recently tried to protect an unusual bit of intellectual property: the sound of a Budweiser can opening. “Wait, doesn’t that sound like any kind of can opening? How can that be a trademark?” If you’re asking these questions, congratulations, you’re a reasonable human being. So can A-B protect that sound as a trademark?
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Archives: Trademarks
Disney v. Deadmau5 Trademark Battle
September 16, 2014
Is there room in the trademark world for more than one cartoon mouse? Disney doesn’t seem to feel that there is, and they’ve finally decided to take action against one of the world’s most popular electronic music artists.
Can Fictional Products Infringe Real-World Trademarks?
August 26, 2014
Someone needs to put a stop to this kind of nonsense. In The Dark Knight Rises, a few references are made to a fictional software product known as “clean clate,” which can erase all information about a person’s past. This is handy if you are Catwoman and you live in a fictional comic-book universe. Fortres Grand (yes, apparently that’s how they spell it) is a software company that sells a product, named “Clean Slate,” which erases the data on an individual computer. It’s been on the market since 2000. Since 2001, they’ve held a USPTO trademark registration for the mark…
A Scandalous Trademark?
August 5, 2014
What’s scandalous these days? Donald Sterling’s comments? Or does anyone even remember him anymore? I can’t keep up with the number of scandals that shock the world (at least online) and then quickly fade away. Fortunately, we can look to the hardworking folks at the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. They are charged with the solemn duty of refusing to register scandalous trademarks. Truly, they are America’s last line of defense against, um, attaching an ® symbol to a product or service name that involves a slightly rude word, I guess. So, gather your wits…
