People tend to add suffixes like “-fest,” “-athon,” or “-palooza” to just about any event these days, but some of these promotional names are well established and protected by registered trademarks. Which is why a beloved Wisconsin music festival is taking seafood chain Red Lobster to court over its use of “Summerfest.” [More]
what’s in a name?
Do Jazzier Descriptions Entice People To Eat More Vegetables?
By 6.12.17
As America struggles with its obesity epidemic, health advocates continue to seek new ways to convince people to eat more vegetables. But a recent study shows that instead of pushing the healthy aspect of such foods, it might be a better idea to describe veggies with a bit more flair. [More]
Irish Burger Chain Goes After McDonald’s For Trademarking Every ‘Mc’ Or ‘Mac’ Name
By 4.12.17
Names beginning with “Mc” or “Mac” are incredibly common, but selling food using some variation on either of these could result in a cease-and-desist demand from McDonald’s. Now one Irish burger chain is challenging McDonald’s ability to claim a trademark on every Mc/Mac eatery everywhere. [More]
Mars Inc. Lawsuit Claims Consumers Might Confuse Chocolates For Supplements Brand
By 4.5.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
My, what a difference a few letters can make: Mars Inc. — maker of candy bars, chewing gum, and dog food — is suing Wisconsin chocolate company CocoVaa, claiming its brand could “confuse and deceive” consumers into thinking it is related to CocoaVia, a line of cocoa extract supplements and snacks produced by Mars. [More]
UPDATED: Yahoo, AOL Brands To Be Part Of Verizon’s New ‘Oath’ Thing
By 4.3.17 — Updated: 4.4.17
Apple Now Rejects Apps With Names That Include Price Information
By 3.29.17
Putting the price in the name of an item is just one way companies try to lure in potential customers, but app developers making their products available in Apple’s App Store will no longer have that option: The tech giant has begun barring developers from promoting the price of their apps in names or screenshots. [More]
Say Goodbye To Virgin America: Company Name, Logo To Retire In 2019
By 3.23.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Now that Alaska Airlines and Virgin America have officially gained approval for their $4 billion marriage, the couple is working out of all the little details of married life, including which airline will be taking the other’s name. To that end: The Virgin America name and logo will disappear, but not right away. [More]
Kona Brewing Accused Of Misleading People Looking For Hawaiian Beer
By 3.3.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
What do the words “Liquid Aloha” bring to mind? Swaying grass skirts and leis, or the frigid New England coast? You’re likely thinking more “Hawaii” and less “New Hampshire,” which is why two beer drinkers are suing the parent company of Kona Brewing Co., accusing it of misleading consumers into thinking they’re swilling Hawaiian beer when it’s actually made thousands of miles away. [More]
Study Claims That There’s A Decent Chance You Look Like Your Name
By 2.28.17
Have you ever met someone and immediately thought “You look like a Heather,” and then it turns out they person is actually named Heather? While you might want to believe you have some kind of psychic ability, you probably don’t. Instead, a new study finds that under the right circumstances people can often correctly match names to faces based on social perceptions. [More]
Tesla Motors Officially Changes Name To Simply Tesla
By 2.1.17
After refusing to fold to pressure from German regulators and consumer safety advocates to change the name of its semi-autonomous driving feature Autopilot, the electric carmaker is changing something — its official name, dropping the “Motors” and becoming simply “Tesla.” [More]
Marijuana Companies Trading Stoner Slang For Mainstream Branding
By 1.26.17
Have trouble asking for an ounce of Purple Kush or Atomic Haze without feeling like the kind of stoner who would brag to his baked buddies about scoring some dank bud? Don’t worry, corporate branding is coming to save the day with acceptably bland product names. [More]
Yahoo To Kick CEO Off Board, Rename Company To Altaba — If Verizon Deal Goes Through
By 1.10.17
After losing 1.5 billion customer records in two different hacks, what can you possibly pull off for a third act? That’s what Yahoo is wondering right about now. Its answer? Throw the CEO off the board, change names post-haste, and hope that sweet Verizon acquisition is still on track. [More]
Faux Fish Company Ordered To Stop Using “Chickpea Of The Sea” Name
By 12.20.16
As more and more companies jump on the fake meat bandwagon, producing meatless burgers that bleed and now “vegan sushi” meant to mimic the experience of eating fish, it isn’t just consumers that are paying attention: established names in the meat industry are on the lookout for imitators, and ready to protect their trademarks. [More]
Supreme Court Will Hear Arguments On Validity Of “Scandalous, Disparaging” Trademarks
By 9.29.16
Federal law prohibits the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office from registering trademarks deemed “immoral, deceptive, or scandalous,” or that “disparage… persons, living or dead, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols.” This has resulted in disputes like the cancellation of the Washington Redskins trademark. This morning, the nation’s highest court agreed to hear arguments in a case seeking to throw that rule out. [More]
Bayer Could Drop Monsanto Name If Mega-Merger Gets Approval
By 9.20.16
When you’re spending $66 billion on a merger to create the world’s largest seed company, it’s understandable that you’d probably want to keep your brand’s name on the resulting mega-corporation, especially when your betrothed comes saddled with a name like Monsanto. [More]
The Battle Between Trader Joe’s & Pirate Joe’s Rages On
By 8.30.16
Can you effectively recreate a supermarket by buying a bunch of that store’s products, shipping them across the border and selling them in a store with a deliberately similar name? That’s the question at the center of a years-long legal battle between Trader Joe’s and its Canadian lookalike Pirate Joe’s. [More]
If You Bought Egyptian Cotton Sheets From Target, You Might Be Getting A Refund
By 8.19.16
Target is breaking up with one of the world’s biggest textile manufacturers, claiming that the company was sending it sheets labeled as “Egyptian cotton” that were actually made with cotton of the non-Egyptian sort. That means refunds for customers who bought the bedding in question. [More]
People Whose Names Were Used In Anti-Net Neutrality Spam Want FCC To Investigate
FCC Chair Ajit Pai recently shrugged off concerns about the hundreds of thousands of bogus, identical anti-net neutrality comments filed with the Commission, saying it was something for his IT folks to look into. But the real human beings whose names were used on those fake filings are not as indifferent, and are calling on Pai to investigate. [More]