Trademark Attorneys Trusted For Our Experience®
A longstanding battle between Native American activists and the Washington Redskins has resulted in a judge ordering the cancellation of the Redskins’ federal trademark registrations. Eric Perrott explained to WJLA ABC7 that this is more of a symbolic victory for the Native American activists for now, as there is still a lengthy legal fight that “could go on for years.”
A man named Martin McCaulay has submitted multiple trademark applications for names he thinks the Washington Redskins might use in the future in the hopes that they will come to him with a large payout in exchange for his trademark rights. The Washington Post spoke with Josh Gerben about trademark squatting.
A news segment on the Fox News network show “America’s News HQ” discusses the legal battle between a decades-old New Orleans-based snow cone shop and Monster Energy. Josh Gerben was interviewed for this segment, and in it he explains the nature of the legal claim that Monster Energy brought against the shop, and whether the shop has a chance of prevailing in the trademark litigation against Monster Energy
The US Department of Justice has now involved itself in the legal battle over the use of ‘Redskins’ that is going on between the Washington football team and Native Americans (and activists). Josh Gerben was quoted by NPR discussing the ramifications of the Justice Department’s involvement, and how this battle could affect trademark law.
In an episode of South Park, an animated show on Comedy Central, the Washington Redskins logo trademark controversy is parodied. The Wall Street Journal presented the question whether use of the Redskins’ logo on the show could be considered trademark infringement. Josh Gerben was quoted by the Wall Street Journal Law Blog arguing that use of the trademark would not constitute infringement, despite the registration being cancelled:
When it came to deciding on a name for Apple’s new wearable watch device, the company attempted to keep the product name quiet by making a trademark filing in Trinidad and Tobago. Through an international trademark treaty, the filing in Trinidad and Tobago allowed Apple to get a priority date with their US filing. Josh Gerben was quoted by the Wall Street Journal Law Blog regarding priority dates in the US.
Google has recently attempted to register the term ‘Glass’ in relation to their Google Glass product. However, the US Patent and Trademark Office is pushing back on this filing, citing cause for confusion among other reasons. The Wall Street Journal Law blog and Josh Gerben discussed the outcomes if this filing does not result in registration.
On April 3, 2014, Josh Gerben hosted a continuing legal education seminar for the Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Bar Association titled “Trademark Fundamentals: A to ®” regarding basic trademark fundamentals such as selection, clearance and registration.
After enjoying the exclusive right of “Cadbury” purple on candy bars and drinking chocolate for a decade, the British chocolate maker’s purple power has come to an end due to rival Nestle. Josh Gerben was quoted by the Washington Post explaining why registrations for colors are the new hot item in trademark law.
Following the Boston Marathon bombing, two parties attempted to register a trademark for the motto “Boston Strong”. Although the intentions behind the filings may not be motivated by personal gain, this brought up the discussion of whether this phrase can be registered. Josh Gerben was quoted by the Huffington Post regarding the chances of the motto being protected with a trademark.
Dr. Dre, a rapper and now entrepreneur, has multiple trademark applications for headphones manufactured by his company, which are called “BEATS.” Since entering the market with the headphones, Beats Electronics has been busy making claims to third parties that it owns the rights to the trademark BEATS in the music space. The Wall Street Journal and Josh Gerben spoke about Beats Electronics’ trademark policing strategy.
After point guard Jeremy Lin’s rapid accent with the New York Knicks, the term “Linsanity” has emerged in pop culture. It refers to the recent buzz about everything involving Lin. He has now applied for a trademark to protect that term. Josh Gerben was quoted by the Huffington Post regarding Jeremy Lin’s efforts to protect “Linsanity” with a trademark.
Contact an Attorney Today
