Yesterday, Google announced a massive reorganization that will put the Internet giant and all its other side businesses under the umbrella of a new company called Alphabet. But don’t expect to visit Alphabet.com anytime soon, unless you want to buy a bunch of BMWs. [More]
what’s in a name?
Stop & Shop Thinks You Might Like To Chow Down On A Nice, Crunchy Scrubbing Loofah
By 8.3.15
Either there’s a bit of confusion going on at a Massachusetts Stop & Shop, or these fruits have been left out way too long, completing their transformation from edibles to hygienic tools. [More]
British Facebook User Legally Changes Her Name To Get Back Into Account… And Is Still Locked Out
By 7.13.15
Unlike other social media networks like Twitter, where you can be anyone you like as long as you’re not trying to impersonate, say, the Queen of England, on Facebook, users are required to use their real names on the site. One British woman made a big change to her identity in order to regain access to her account, only to be kept waiting to find out her fate. [More]
Federal Court Cancels Registration Of Redskins Trademarks
By 7.8.15
A year after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office deemed the term “Redskin” offensive, and therefore not eligible for a trademark, the Washington NFL team has been dealt another blow in its attempt to protect its brand. This morning, a federal court agreed with the USPTO and ordered the agency to cancel the team’s trademark. [More]
Man Legally Changes His Name Just To Avoid Airline Booking Error Fee
By 6.5.15
Because you can’t just fly under anyone’s name, some airlines institute a fee for travelers seeking to change the name on their already purchased ticket to ward against reselling them for a profit. But not everyone wants to pay for mistakes, like one student who decided he’d rather spend the money to change his name and get a new passport than pay Ryanair to fix a booking error. [More]
Owners Of Derby-Pie Trademark Fight To Keep It From Becoming Genericized
By 5.1.15
First of all, what’s a derby pie? For those not living in or near Louisville, many Kentucky Derby fans say it’s a pie made with bourbon, chocolate chips and pecans. And then there’s one company that says it’s a walnut treat made without bourbon. Thing is, the latter holds the trademark to the phrase Derby-Pie, and it’s not ready to allow others to peddle their own iterations of the traditional dessert with that name. [More]
Macy’s Tries Again To Win Back Trademarks From Man Who Resurrected Astro Pops And Hydrox
By 2.26.15
When Macy’s Inc. swallowed up a slew of department stores across the land — from Marshall Field’s to Filene’s, Abraham & Straus to Jordan Marsh — it rebranded many of them, turning the formerly regional chains into Macy’s stores. But in a new lawsuit brought by the company that echoes a suit from 2011 that was slated to come to trial soon, Macy’s says the California company behind the resurrection of Hydrox and Astro Pops is infringing on trademarks it held for many of those recognizable brand names. [More]
Lawsuit Against Jim Beam Challenges Bourbon’s “Handcrafted” Claim
By 2.19.15
When it comes to making a name for a brand, the words companies use to describe their products are chosen very carefully for maximum appeal. But the thing is, those words have to be true. Jim Beam is the latest liquor maker to face challenges over its claims that its bourbon is actually “handcrafted.” [More]
Judge Dashes Parents’ Dream Of Naming Their Child “Nutella”
By 1.26.15
Because a child is not a hazelnut chocolate spread, a judge in France has rejected a couple’s attempt to legally name their baby “Nutella,” saying it’s not only a trademarked name, but also would be “contrary to the child’s interest to be wearing a name like that” as it “can only lead to teasing or disparaging thoughts.” [La Voix Du Nord via Time.com] [More]
Brewery: Sorry We Put A Gandhi Robot On A Beer Label
By 1.5.15
In yet another example of companies seemingly unaware that using a culture/religion’s symbols to peddle a product is likely to cause controversy whether the intentions were ill or not, a United States brewery is busy apologizing to anyone offended by a Gandhi robot on its beer labels. [More]
Hellmann’s Maker Revamps Website Amid Lawsuit, Calling Some Products “Mayonnaise Dressing,” Not Mayonnaise
By 11.17.14
Less than a week after it was first reported that Unilever, the parent company for Hellmann’s mayonnaise, filed a lawsuit against California-based Hampton Creek for false advertising over the company’s use of the word “mayo” in its eggless sandwich spread’s name, the larger company is reportedly covering its tracks, making sure its own use of the term is above-board by tweaking its website. [More]
Coke Reverses 10 Years Of Sagging Sales By Slapping Names On Bottles
By 9.26.14
To quote Stephen Sondheim, you’ve gotta get a gimmick if you want to get ahead. Just ask the folks at Coca-Cola who managed to briefly reverse a decade-long trend of declining Coke sales simply by slapping various people’s names on their bottles and cans. [More]
MGM Threatens To Sue Race For Recreating Rocky Balboa’s Epic Run
By 9.23.14
Here in Philadelphia, it’s rare to walk by the Art Museum steps without seeing some tourist trying to reenact the triumphant conclusion to Rocky Balboa’s training runs in Rocky and Rocky II. Movie studio MGM has no issue with selling out this iconic scene to a questionable payday loan operation, but if someone actually wants to use the word “Rocky” to organize a completely free running event that retraces the Italian Stallion’s jog through Philly, well… MGM has a problem with that. [More]
McDonald’s Tries Again To Trademark “McBrunch”
By 9.10.14
Given McDonald’s love of selling breakfast, and its even deeper affection for trademarking anything even vaguely food-related starting with “Mc,” it’s surprising to learn that the company is just now getting around to trying to stake its claim on the phrase, “McBrunch.” But the real question is: Does this mean a real brunch menu is on the way from McDonald’s? [More]
Twitpic Shutting Down Over Trademark Spat With Twitter
By 9.5.14
While Twitter has allowed users to upload photos directly to their feeds for quite some time, some users still prefer Twitpic for hosting and sharing their images. But Twitter apparently has an issue with the “Twit” part of Twitpic’s name, so the service will soon cease operations instead of getting caught up in a drawn-out legal fight over a name. [More]
Taiwan Restaurant Apologizes For Naming A Dish “Long Live The Nazis”
By 8.21.14
While I suppose there could be a worse name for a pasta dish, “Long Live the Nazis” is pretty much as horrifying as it gets. Yet the manager of an Italian restaurant in Taiwan says they had no idea the moniker for menu items featuring a German sausage would be a bad idea. Or just completely offensive. [More]
Saks Fifth Avenue In Dogfight With Snaks Fifth Avenchew
By 8.18.14
The name “Snaks Fifth Avenchew” is an obvious parody of world-famous upscale store Saks Fifth Avenue, but lawyers for Saks aren’t laughing, recently telling the animal snack company to stop using its punny name. [More]
“Kmart At A Discount” Store Doesn’t Quite Live Up To Its Name
By 7.1.14
If outlet stores for mid- to high-end retailers give shoppers a way to find decent bargains, you’d think that a Kmart outlet store would have some real bottom-dollar deals on items that couldn’t be cleared from inventory at regular Kmart stores. But shoppers who visit a “Kmart at a Discount” location should enter with the caveat that saving money is a hit-or-miss proposition. [More]
