Luka Doncic, the potential Rookie of the Year candidate from the Dallas Mavericks, has had his trademark applications for ‘Matador’ and ‘El Matador’ denied by the Patent and Trademark Office. Luka’s trademark application was denied because there’s about a dozen other Matador trademarks that exist across a variety of goods and services that Luka applied for. In this case, […]
Augusta National filed a trademark application in February 2019 for an actual green jacket. Despite already owning trademark registrations on the phrase “green jacket,” Augusta National had not yet applied for the actual jacket itself. When making a trademark filing on a trade dress such as this, you need to submit a technical drawing. On the drawing they submitted, you […]
In October of last year, Warner Bros. attempted to register the famous “Harry Potter” phrase, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” As intellectual property owner of the Harry Potter movie series, Warner Bros. filed the application for a variety of different products. The examining attorney assigned to this trademark application issued an initial denial for two […]
On Monday, March 25, the Supreme Court issued a notice saying that it would not hear a lawsuit brought by the photographer that shot a famous Michael Jordan image. The photographer claimed that Nike infringed on his copyright, because the company took his image and turned into the Jumpman logo. The case was decided by the Ninth Circuit earlier this […]
Penn State University’s trademark application on ‘Happy Valley’ was initially refused on March 11, 2019 by the trademark office. The office action, USPTO code for refusing an application initially, was given for two main reasons. 1. The trademark office found the trademark to be geographically descriptive. As ‘Happy Valley’ is a commonly used nickname for State College, Pennsylvania, the trademark […]
On February 22, the retail brand Rag & Bone Holdings made a trade dress filing for the number 44. Why would the retail brand want to make a filing for this number on the sleeve of bomber jackets? Well, the 44th president, Barack Obama, was recently seen wearing this style of jacket at a UNC-Duke game. Only a few days […]
The fast food chain In-N-Out has recently sued the sportswear brand Puma over a new release called the “California Drive Thru” Sneaker. As can be seen in the video above, the sneaker has palm tree patterned laces, along with red and gold details throughout. When compared to an In-N-Out store, the shoe, and its name, greatly resemble the visual characteristics […]
If you recall last year’s March Madness tournament, the Loyola University of Chicago made it to the semifinals and the team chaplain, Sister Jean, received a lot of press. Sister Jean was shown on national television often during the tournament. So, in advance of the tournament this year, Loyola University has moved to protect the name “Sister Jean” with a […]
The 76ers recently had a big win at Oracle Arena, which led me to take a look at a trademark application by Joel Embiid for “The Process.” After reviewing the trademark, I have a prediction to make. This trademark application for THE PROCESS was filed by Joel Embiid back in October 2016 and it has been pending since then. […]
Following the Super Bowl last week, I decided to look back over trademark filings the Patriots have made. In this video, I show a trademark registered by the Kraft Group LLC (presumably a company owned by Robert Kraft) for “19-0.” You’ll notice that the trademark was filed just days before the 2008 Super Bowl when the Patriots were supposed to […]
Alfonso Ribeiro has sued the creators of Fortnite and the NBA 2K series for using the “Carlton Dance” as an unlockable (i.e. purchasable) character celebration dance. Ribeiro is best known for his portrayal of uptight “Carlton Banks” on the 90’s sitcom the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” In one episode, Banks starts doing a dance move that is now known as […]
L.A. Gear, the shoe brand most well-known for its introduction of lights embedded in the soles of its sneaker, has been very busy over the years at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). While the brand does not enjoy the pop-culture status it once had in the 80’s, its continued robust trademark enforcement campaign has raised eyebrows. Recently, L.A. Gear […]