How long do trademarks last? They can last forever, in theory. Bass beer’s distinctive red triangle label was the UK’s first registered trademark back in 1876. It is UK trademark registration Number 00000000001. However, trademark rights disappear if they’re not in continuous use. Use it or lose it. Loss of rights in a trademark is referred to as “abandonment.” I’ve written about trademark abandonment before, but a recent high-profile case involving Google’s Android mark has brought the issue to the public’s attention yet again.
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Archives: Trademarks
Major League Baseball Goes After Fan Podcasts?
May 20, 2014
The baseball blog and podcast world was shaken up early in May with news that several baseball fan podcasts had been removed from iTunes for trademark reasons. Major League Baseball (MLB), which owns the trademarks associated with the various teams, was accused of having betrayed its diehard fans in the interest of locking down its intellectual property. What really happened, and is it OK to use the name or logo of a team in your blog or podcast?
PRETZEL CRISPS is Generic, Not a Trademark
May 5, 2014
Is the phrase “Pretzel Crisps” a trademark, meaning something that identifies the source of the goods, or a generic term? Frito-Lay thinks it’s generic, and, in a recent decision, the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) agreed.
Google’s GLASS Trademark Application Rejected
April 8, 2014
Google’s GLASS Trademark Application Rejected There have been a lot of stories going around lately regarding Google’s attempt to register the word GLASS with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Let’s take a look at the record and see where they stand. This will be an interesting illustration of some of the many complications that can arise with respect to a trademark application.
