A brief update to my Pinterest posts (Part 1 here, Part 2 here). Pinterest has responded to the copyright questions that have been flying around the Internet. The company’s CEO has reached out to at least one blogger who pulled her images off the site, and they released the following statement: Pinterest is a platform for people to share their interests through collections of images, videos, commentary and links they can share with friends. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) provides safe harbors for exactly this type of platform. We are committed to efficiently responding to alleged copyright infringements. We…
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Archives: Trademarks
What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Trademark Registration: Scams!
March 13, 2012
People who apply to register trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office tend to receive a variety of mailings from companies purporting to be some sort of official trademark-related entity. These are otherwise known as “scams.” Don’t fall for these scams, and whatever you do, don’t send these people any money. If you have filed a trademark application with the USPTO, the only point of communication will be with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Any other entity is not the real thing. For example, there is no government agency referred to as the “United States Trademark…
And the Award for Best Trademark Goes To…
February 23, 2012
While the Oscars aren’t technically a legal holiday, the spirit of the season does seem to fit in with my series on Holiday Trademarks. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences owns several Oscar-related trademarks, including: A design trademark for the image of the little gold man himself. OSCAR. OSCARS. ACADEMY AWARDS. OSCAR NIGHT. A.M.P.A.S. SUNDAY AT THE OSCARS. What about the names of the movies themselves? As if you didn’t already have it memorized, the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure, 8th Edition, Section 1202.08 (stay with me here) states, in part: “The title, or a portion of a…
LINSANITY™
February 21, 2012
By now, everyone and their tiger mom has heard of Jeremy Lin, the Harvard-educated basketball sensation. My understanding is that the new version of the DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) will include Linsanity as a medically-treatable condition. Before we all run out and get vaccinated, let’s consider the trademark issues. I promise to do my very best to avoid all of the various “Lin” puns.
