In The News, Sports

Cleveland Baseball Trademarks “CLEVELAND GUARDIANS”

On July 23, 2021, the Cleveland Indians announced that the team is changing its name to the Cleveland Guardians. Not long after the announcement, speculation grew surrounding how a roller derby team called the Cleveland Guardians might have a potential trademark infringement claim As I told Yahoo!Sports, there is zero chance that Cleveland’s baseball team did not address this issue before […]

In The News, Sports

Milwaukee Bucks File for “BUCKS IN 6” Before Winning Game 6 of 2021 NBA Finals

The Milwaukee Bucks Inc., 2021 NBA Champions, recently filed trademark applications for “BUCKS IN 6” and “BUCKS IN SIX.” Not surprising since they won their second NBA title in the team’s history in Game 6 on July 20, 2021. What is surprising about this filing is that it occurred a little over 24 hours before the game started – at 8:23 […]

Digital, In The News, Industries, Technology, The Basics, Trademark Filing

Trademark Registration is Required for GMAIL Authenticated Brand Logos

Whether a business is promoting a new item, offering a discount on products, or even sending an invoice, email is still a primary way to reach customers. But with spoofing and phishing more prevalent than ever, some customers may be leery to interact through email. Fortunately, email hosts like Gmail are finding ways to reduce fraudulent emails through brand authentication. Before […]

General, Government, In The News

The Proposed 2023 SHOP-SAFE ACT Provides Framework for Holding Online Marketplaces Accountable

E-commerce platforms like Amazon and Walmart provide consumers with fast access to millions of products, sometimes within days or hours of ordering. However, despite what many consumers might believe, Amazon and Walmart do not sell most of the items being sold on their respective websites. Instead, third-party sellers use Amazon and Walmart’s programs (such as “Fulfilled by Amazon”) to store […]

Sports

NIL Laws: How College Athletes Should Protect Their Name, Image and Likeness

For years, the debate surrounding college athletes’ monetization of their NIL–a commonly used acronym that represents name, image, and likeness–has prevented student athletes from capitalizing upon their on-field success and profiting from their collegiate athletic careers. Numerous states including California, New Jersey, and Florida have now passed legislation to provide college athletes with the right to profit from their name, […]

Digital, General, In The News

Comprehensive List of NFT Trademark Filings

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are rising in popularity.  This has lead to an increase in the number of trademark filings around NFT brands at the USPTO. NFTs represent unique digital items such as digital art, audio, video, and other creative works that can be purchased using blockchain technology. Entities who have filed trademark applications for NFTs include: Mattel Inc, Luka99 Inc (Dallas […]

In The News, Sports

WNBA Abandons “WUBBLE” Trademark After Challenge From WUBBLE Ball

Last year, the WNBA filed a trademark application for “WUBBLE.” This was the WNBA’s version of the “Bubble” for the WBNA’s season in 2020. While the WNBA’s application was approved by the USPTO for registration, in January 2021 and the makers of the WUBBBLE Ball subsequently filed an “extension of time to oppose” the application.  This is typically the first […]

General, In The News, Sports

NCAA Seeks Cancellation of “VASECTOMY MAYHEM” Trademark

The NCAA has filed a Petition for Cancellation against the trademark owned by a Virginia Urology practice for “VASECTOMY MAYHEM.” The registration was issued in September 2020 for vasectomy services. Now, what does the NCAA have to do with vasectomies? According to the cancellation petition, the NCAA alleged Virginia Urology started off by using “Vasectomy Madness” to promote its services […]

Food & Beverage, General, In The News, Pop Culture

Slaying the Monster: How a Minor League Hockey Team Beat Monster Energy and Registered Their ‘Cleveland Monster’ Trademarks

Monster Energy is known to have a significant trademark enforcement program around its ‘MONSTER’ trademark and associated logos.  In one notable case, Monster Energy ignited a six-year long trademark dispute with the Toronto Raptors by opposing the team’s trademark applications for a “claw-tearing-through-basketball” logo. The concern about Monster Energy’s trademark enforcement tactics is that they can be focused on small businesses, […]

In The News, Pop Culture

Taylor Swift Files 25 Trademark Applications for “TAYLOR’S VERSION”

Taylor Swift’s company, TAS Rights Management, filed 25 trademark applications on February 10th and 11th for variations of “TAYLOR’S VERSION.” Swift announced that she will be re-recording all six albums made under her previous label, Big Machine Records, all of which have since been sold to Shamrock Capital. Not only did Swift file “TAYLOR’S VERSION” trademark applications for the Fearless […]

General, In The News, Sports

NFL Opposes XFL’s Trademark for Houston Roughnecks Logo

The NFL, which still owns trademark rights around the Houston Oilers trademarks, has filed an opposition against the XFL’s trademark application for the Houston Roughnecks logo. In the documents filed on December 28, the NFL contends that the Roughnecks logo is too similar to that of the former Houston Oilers team. The Houston Oilers Logo vs. The Houston Roughnecks Logo […]

In The News, Pop Culture

Drake and Nike Collab: “FORZA NOCTA” Trademark

In past few weeks, there has been increased speculation that Drake and Nike will be dropping a clothing collaboration. Thanks to trademark applications that have been filed with the USPTO, recent documents may provide some clues about what will be included in the collaboration. The first interesting filing noted is a “FORZA NOCTA” application that was filed in January of […]

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