SUPER BABIES vs. Other SUPER Trademarks

When a fantastic trademark dispute arises, especially one involving superheroes, this trademark attorney cannot help but blog about it. The nature of this particular trademark dispute is epic, perhaps rising to the level worthy of a superhero blockbuster (or maybe that’s just this attorney’s trademark geekdom talking). In either event, like many legal disputes, this … Read more

Used Trademark For Sale

Remember when I said that we’d have some follow-up to Carter’s Big Mac post? Well, here is one of those posts! Today, we’ll talk about what it means to “use” a trademark. Trademarks are creatures of the relationship between the source of a product and its customers. They don’t exist without the product or the … Read more

The Curious Case of “Healthy Soap®” (Revised)

A previous version of this blog post failed to take into account some nuance and important facts, namely that Healthy Soap (R) was actually registered on the USPTO’s Supplemental Register. Thanks to our readers for bringing this to my attention and for allowing us to expand on some important trademark basics. As the father of … Read more

A Question of Price

We help people with contracts that buy and sell their products and their businesses, license their products and their intellectual property, and lots of other things that lead to the question of “What do I charge?” Our first answer tends to be “That’s more of a business question than a legal question.” But that answer doesn’t … Read more

Bottles Up

As a firm of trademark and alcohol attorneys, it’s always a thrill when those two topics collide, especially on a major stage. We had one of those great moments of serendipity last week. The story begins with Diageo, the company that owns Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, a brand of whiskey that might be familiar to our … Read more

Trademarks and Sports: Yes, No, Maybe So?

Can trademarks and sports mix? To address this question, I wanted to dive in with several case studies: Of course, this Cheesehead cannot help but talk about the Green Bay Packers! The Packers’ notable trademark is it’s original one where it claims the services of “entertainment services in the form of professional football games and … Read more

Poking Fun or Making a Buck?

My last blog post ended with a cliffhanger: but what about Jack Daniel’s and dog toys? For those of you on the edge of your seats, thanks for waiting. There are others probably thinking, “What is this guy’s deal? First, it was shoes and socks, and now it’s whiskey and dog toys?” For those readers, … Read more