Standard & Poor’s vs. Standard & Pours

Standard & Poor’s, a division of McGraw Hill, has filed a lawsuit against Pascale Hall, the owner and operator of Standard & Pours Coffee & Stocks, a 3-year-old coffee shop and live music venue in South Dallas, Texas.
In the lawsuit:
the McGraw-Hill subsidiary demands that Pascale Hall, Standard & Pours’ owner, pay S&P three times the [...]

“Morning After” To Go Over-the-Counter

Apparently Duramed’s so-called “morning after” pill, trademark: Plan-B, will become available over-the-counter. However, women will have to prove that they are over 18 years old, in the States.
It seems the White House isn’t too happy, but given the 18 year-old restriction, I guess there’s not much it can say, yet.

The Spud Lawsuit is Over

A dispute over salt potatoes by two Central New York food companies is now over. Earlier this year, Hinerwadel’s Inc. filed a trademark-infringement suit against Rapasadi and Sons. The lawsuit claimed Rapasadi purchased bags formerly used by Hinerwadel’s and filled them with their own product.
The two companies settled their differences last Monday. According to the [...]

Market Leaders Fight Genericism

Market leaders Google and Apple are apparently leading the fight against the genericism of their trademarks.
Google would like to oust the verb “to google” from everyday language;  the computer company Apple is battling over the concept “pod” according to a report in the Financial Times. The background to all this lies in the fact that trademarks can [...]

UK Supermarket Seeks Registration of “Chav”

ASDA has applied to register the slang word “chav” as a trademark for its confectionery.
The word appears on the supermarket chain’s Whatever sweets with other popular expressions such as “mint”, “minger” and “bothered”.
Whatevers, an update of traditional Love Hearts which featured tender messages, are now nicknamed “Chav Hearts”.
Asda said: “With slogans from characters in shows [...]

Businessman Gets “Screwed”

Jeberaj Kenneth, trading as Screw You, applied to register SCREW YOU as a trademark in Europe for a wide variety of goods including sunglasses and sex toys, clothing, spectacle cases and breast pumps as well as alcoholic beverages, condoms and sports equipment.
However, OHIM would have none of it.
The original application was rejected on the basis that the phrase did [...]

A Long-Held Secret Revealed?

Environmental groups in India are charging that Coca-Cola and Pepsi beverages contain toxic levels of pesticides. As a result of these allegations, six Indian states have issued full or partial bans on the sale of Coke and Pepsi in their states.
Predictably, the companies are fighting back. “The Coke you drink in India would be as [...]

Threats from Far Away

China has a reputation of being a jurisdiction where piracy runs rampant. The text of an American Public Media story illustrates this point. The transcript of the news story is below:

Every week China’s trademark office publishes a list of logos that it’s approved. Recently, the list included a logo familiar to American public [...]

Are There Any Spots Left to Bite the Apple?

It is claimed that six young Native Americans will file another petition at the USPTO’s Trademark Trial & Appeal Board seeking cancellation of the NFL’s registrations of REDSKINS.
In 1992, a group of prominent American Indian leaders filed a similar petition that is still pending 14 years later. Both petitions call for the cancellation of the [...]

Laches In Israel

Plaintiff, owner of prior Israeli registration of Life Styles is barred from making trademark infringement claims against Australian owner and manufacturer of Life and LifeStyle for condoms because Israeli company had been aware of defendant’s use for 8 years before brining any action.
 >> see article

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