The already heated debate over the continued use of the term “Redskins” by the Washington, D.C., NFL team got hotter this morning, with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office canceling the team’s trademark registration, saying it is “disparaging of Native Americans.” [More]
what’s in a name?
Latter-Day Saints Church Says Dating Site Can’t Match Mormons Because “Mormon” Is Their Trademark
By 6.3.14
A businessman wants to launch a new website. Like a Christian Mingle or a JDate, its purpose is to let members of a particular religion find love with one another. In this case, the target is members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, better known as Mormons. But he’s running into a snag with the name. When is a Mormon not a Mormon? When he’s a “Mormon®.” [More]
General Mills, Girl Scouts Go After Makers Of Liquid Nicotine Over Trademarked Names
By 5.27.14
Though the makers of e-cigarettes say their devices aren’t marketed to children, some companies that make liquid nicotine are not only using candy and fruit flavors that are forbidden from regular tobacco, but they’re using trademarked names of well-known snacks, sweets, and cereals. This isn’t sitting well with the companies that hold those trademarks. [More]
Burger King China’s PooPoo Smoothie Is Apparently Better Than Its Name Would Imply
By 4.14.14
Here’s another to add to the list of product names that don’t travel well: Burger King China’s PooPoo Smoothie, which may conjure up images of… well, I’d rather not say, but your inner grossed-out 8-year-old knows what I mean, but which has nothing to do with excrement and is apparently not awful. [More]
Bank Of America Addresses Junk Mail To “Lisa Is A Slut”
By 2.7.14
Only a couple weeks after OfficeMax sent out some junk mail addressed to “Daughter Killed in Car Crash,” a California woman says a mailing from Bank of America showed up at her mother’s home with her name printed as “Lisa Is A Slut” McIntire. [More]
Bar Debuts Drink Called “Date Grape Kool-Aid,” Outrage Inevitably Ensues
By 2.4.14
There are some serious topics you can joke about: Life’s unavoidable death sentence? Hilarious. The frailty of man in the face a cold and unforgiving universe? Knee-slapping good fun. But naming a drink after the very serious, unfunny subject of date rape? Nope. Tell that to a bar in Spokane, Wa., where a new “Date Grape Kool-Aid” drink is now on the menu. [More]
New Jersey Suggests People Change Their Names To Fit With Antiquated Driver’s License System
By 12.30.13
The people of New Jersey represent just about every racial and ethnic group you could imagine, so not everyone is going to fit into the standard mold of first name/middle initial/last name. And even though state authorities are well aware of this fact, they would rather have drivers legally change their names than update the state’s outdated license database. [More]
“Organic” Chicken Is Different Than “Antibiotic-Free” And “Natural” Means Nothing
By 12.19.13 — Updated: 12.19.16
Once upon a time, not very long ago, you went to the grocery store — not a big box store, or a warehouse club or online — and bought “chicken.” Now the poultry section can be a confusing mish-mash of labels that may not mean what consumers think they mean, or may not mean anything at all. [More]
ABC Asks Judge To Toss Out Beef Company’s “Pink Slime” Defamation Lawsuit
By 12.18.13
Thinking about the actual texture and consistency of your common slime, one might come to the idea that the stuff would move along rather slowly. And that same sluggish image also comes to mind in the legal brouhaha over ABC News’ coverage of lean, finely textured beef, otherwise known as “pink slime.” It just keeps slorping along, with ABC now asking a judge to toss the whole suit out, more than a year after Beef Products Inc. first filed it. [More]
IKEA Toy With Name That Translates Into Naughty Word Sells Out In Hong Kong
By 12.11.13
He’s no Tickle Me Elmo, but another stuffed toy has been flying off the shelves at IKEA stores in Hong Kong. And not, it’s not because he’s the “it” toy this holiday season. Lufsig the wolf’s name translates into Cantonese with a very naughty meaning, apparently making him the perfect object for protestors to lob at Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong CY Leung, who some have nicknamed “the wolf.” [More]
15 Explanations For Company Name Mashups You Never Knew You Wanted Explained
By 11.27.13
You might know the backstory behind some brand names — like that BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke (or Bavarian Motor Works) or that CVS started as Consumer Value Stores. Look at you, smartypants. But what about LEGO? Or ASICS? LG, anyone? [More]
Butterball CEO: No, Our Turkeys Are Not Full Of Butter
By 11.27.13
Earlier today, we looked at the creation stories of more than a dozen famous company names, but we didn’t mention the curious moniker of the turkey company whose name has become closely associated with Thanksgiving. [More]
McDonald’s Criticized For Using Ronald McDonald House For Cheap Publicity
By 10.30.13
A new report attempts to change the public perception of McDonald’s connection to the Ronald McDonald House Charities, claiming the fast food giant wraps itself in the good work done by the Houses while only providing a small percentage of the organizations’ funding. [More]
IKEA Products Names Are As Meaningless As You’d Assumed
By 9.4.13
While we all know that American brand names like Xfinity and Verizon are nonsense words made up by some marketing executive’s 4-year-old kid, some of us lived under a cloud of self-delusion, mistakenly believing that the Swedish words used for IKEA products had some relevance to the items they are attached to. [More]
Next Stop, [Company Name Here]?: MTA May Sell NYC Subway Station Naming Rights
By 7.22.13
While I always dreamed of hearing the automated voice on the New York City subway trains announcing “Next stop: MBQ Station,” it appears I’ll have to wait a bit longer and save some more pennies: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is considering selling off naming rights for some subway stations as a way to rake in some cash, but individuals won’t be getting in on the naming fun. [More]
“Goodyear Zeppelin” Doesn’t Have The Same Ring To It As “Goodyear Blimp,” But So It Goes
By 7.17.13
If you’re the kind of person who just can’t help but correct someone, anyone, who’s had the misfortune to utter something slightly factually inaccurate, let this serve as a warning: Although Goodyear is replacing its fleet of three blimps with zeppelins, the company is still going to call the beloved airships blimps. Because it’s not about technicalities here, people, it’s about blimp love. [More]
Four Paula Deen Buffets To Close As Caesars Entertainment Cuts Ties With Chef
By 6.26.13
The Paula Deen scandal wagon rolls on, with one of the world’s largest gaming companies parting ways with the celebrity chef on the same day as she made a tearful appearance on NBC’s Today Show. [More]
Some People Angry With The Wrong Smithfield Over Paula Deen Firing
By 6.25.13
As we mentioned yesterday, Paula Deen had been dropped as a celebrity spokesperson for Smithfield Foods, a decision that has upset Deen supporters, some of whom have been writing angry notes to Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q, a completely unrelated business that happens to share the Smithfield name. [More]
