Patent and Trademark Office

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Celeb Chef Chang Is Labeled a 'Trademark Bully'

Dispute erupts in Asian cuisine over the rights to 'chili crunch' name

(Newser) - A nasty fight has erupted among the purveyors of Asian cuisine over what they can call a popular condiment broadly known as chili crisp, reports Eater . Momofuku, a food company founded by celebrity chef David Chang, has sent cease-and-desist letters to several businesses using the name "chili crunch" or...

Final Holdout in 'Taco Tuesday' Battle Gives In

Taco Bell gets last restaurant to relinquish its trademark of the phrase

(Newser) - Taco Bell has been trying to ensure the phrase "Taco Tuesday" is available for anyone (including, of course, Taco Bell) to use, and the fast food chain notched a big win in its battle over the trademarking of the phrase back in July, when the chain Taco John's,...

Taco Bell on Trademark War: 'Taco Tuesday' Belongs to All

Fast-food giant asks Patent and Trademark Office to force smaller chain to give up rights to the term

(Newser) - Declaring a mission to liberate "Taco Tuesday" for all, Taco Bell is asking US regulators to force Wyoming-based Taco John's to abandon its long-standing claim to the trademark. Too many businesses and others refer to "Taco Tuesday" for Taco John's to be able to have exclusive...

Trademark Office Has Bad News for Meghan

Request to trademark 'Archetypes' is denied

(Newser) - It's a no go: Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has been denied her request to trademark "Archetypes," the title of her Spotify podcast. Archewell Audio, the podcast production company launched by Meghan and husband Prince Harry, filed the request to trademark the word as it applies to...

Sorry, Mariah, You're Not the Only 'Queen of Christmas'

Trademark office denies singer's claim for rights to the phrase

(Newser) - Mariah Carey isn't getting the holiday gift she wanted from the US Patent and Trademark Office. The office on Tuesday denied the singer's request to trademark "Queen of Christmas," after rejecting her applications for "QOC" and "Princess Christmas" earlier this month, per the Washington ...

Fastest Man in the World Wants Ownership of His Victory Pose

Retired sprinter Usain Bolt has filed to trademark signature celebration move to use logo on merch

(Newser) - If you're a famous athlete with the name "Bolt," and you've got a signature victory move that resembles a jagged line of electricity, chances are you're going to make sure you control that likeness. There's only one man this situation currently applies to in...

Ohio State University Loses Bid to Trademark 'The'

Patent office says it 'didn't function as a trademark'

(Newser) - Ohio State University has lost its bid to trademark the most common word in the English language. The United States Patent Office has turned down an application from Ohio State —which likes to be referred to as "The Ohio State University"—to trademark the word "the"...

Patent Office to Tom Brady: You Are Not 'Terrific'

Quarterback loses bid to protect nickname

(Newser) - Tom Brady can still be terrific. He just can't be Terrific, the US Patent and Trademark Office has decided. The star Patriots quarterback had applied for trademark protection for the "Tom Terrific" nickname, which has long been applied to baseball Hall of Famer Tom Seaver, 74. The applications...

Case of the Brand That Sounds Profane Heads to Supreme Court

Erik Brunetti has long tried to get a trademark for his Fuct streetwear

(Newser) - Nearly 30 years ago, Erik Brunetti, along with skateboarder Natas Kaupas, founded a streetwear company with a name that, depending on how it's said, could sound profane. They started Fuct with no major issues, save for the trademark they tried to get for the name—one that the Patent...

P&G Scheme to Lure Millennials Has Folks Saying 'WTF'

Procter & Gamble files trademark applications for 4 popular acronyms: WTF, LOL, NBD, and FML

(Newser) - Acronym-heavy news reports are proliferating after a recent development regarding Procter & Gamble. Ad Age reports that the consumer-goods behemoth has put in the paperwork for the rights to use four well-known letter combinations—WTF, LOL, NBD (which stands for "no big deal"), and FML ("f--- my...

Dr. Dre Loses Fight With Dr. Drai, an Actual Doctor

In trademark battle, gynecologist argued that no one was likely to confuse the two

(Newser) - In a case of Dre versus Drai, the US Patent and Trademark office has handed a win to ... Drai, thus ending a three-year dispute that pitted Dr. Dre (real name Andre Young) against Dr. Drai (real name Draion M. Burch). One, of course, is the rap mogul who discovered Snoop...

Rock Band's Court Win Bodes Well for Redskins

Federal trademarks case was decided on Monday

(Newser) - An Asian-American rock band called the Slants found itself on the winning side of a Supreme Court case Monday. The justices ruled that a 71-year-old trademark law barring disparaging terms infringes free speech rights. The ruling is a victory for the Slants, but the case was closely watched for the...

Budweiser Gets 'Panties in a Bunch' over 'Queen of Beer'

'King of Beers' doesn't take kindly to other company's slogan

(Newser) - A California brewing company calling itself "The Queen of Beer" may be royally screwed now that the "King of Beers" has gotten wind of it. She Beverage Co. applied to register its queen-based slogan with the US Patent and Trademark Office last year, but Anheuser-Busch filed a notice...

Redskins Lose Trademark Over 'Disparaging' Name

Plaintiff applauds 'victory for Native Americans and all Americans'

(Newser) - Under federal law, trademarks can't "disparage" individuals—and on those grounds, the US Patent and Trademark Office has withdrawn the Washington Redskins' trademark registration, the Washington Post reports. The office says the six trademarks that included the name "were disparaging to Native Americans at the respective times...

Inventor Has Been Waiting 43 Years for His Patent

Gilbert Hyatt made millions off microprocessor claim

(Newser) - It's been 43 years since Gilbert Hyatt applied for a patent on a machinery-control system, and 35 years since he sought a patent related to liquid crystal displays. It takes an average of about two years to get patent approval—but Hyatt hasn't received it on either invention,...

Obama Cracks Down on Patent Trolls

He'll issue executive order to try to curb abuses

(Newser) - President Obama plans to issue five executive orders today aimed at slaying, or at least curtailing, patent trolls—companies that amass a lot of patents purely for licensing and litigation purposes. Obama's orders will, among other things, ask the Patent and Trademark Office to take a harder look at...

New Object of Chick-fil-A's Ire: Kale T-Shirts

Trademark Office not buying Vermont guy's bid to patent 'Eat More Kale'

(Newser) - First, Chick-fil-A flapped its way into the gay marriage debate , and now the fast-food giant is again throwing down—this time with a Vermont artist who makes "Eat More Kale" T-shirts. Chick-fil-A contends that the slogan, though spelled correctly, is too close to its own “Eat Mor Chikin”...

Facebook Gets Closer to 'Face' Trademark

Patent office gives notice of allowance

(Newser) - Facebook is thisclose to getting its desired trademark on the word “face,” at least when it comes to online chat rooms or bulletin boards. The US Patent and Trademark Office gave the social networking giant a notice of allowance this week, Inside Facebook reports. Now, Facebook must file...

Patent Office Removes Marijuana Category

After getting a call from the Journal about it...

(Newser) - For three tantalizing months, the medical marijuana industry thought it had a chance to finally be recognized by a federal agency. The US Patent and Trademark Office had created a new trademark category specifically for medical marijuana, and dealers from all 14 states where the stuff is legal bombarded it...

Abercrombie Sues Beyoncé Over Fierce Fragrance

Retailer says it's already trademarked the name

(Newser) - Abercrombie & Fitch has filed a lawsuit against Beyoncé in a tussle over her new fragrance, named for alter ego Sasha Fierce, Women's Wear Daily reports. A&F says it has owned the Fierce trademark since 2003, and that her plan "poses a likelihood of confusion" in the big-bucks...

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