Category: Trade Dress

John Deere Trademark

John Deere Wins Trademark Lawsuit over Green and Yellow Color Scheme

Farm equipment and the John Deere Trademark go hand-in-hand. Even among the general, non-farming public, Deere is one of the most recognizable brand names. Not only is the name top of mind for most people, but so is the brand’s color scheme – green and yellow. According to its trademark registrations, this familiar look has been used by Deere as early as 1918. With nearly a century of built up brand equity, Deere is actively enforcing its trademark rights against would-be imitators and recently won a permanent injunction against a South Dakota based agricultural sprayer equipment company. Continue reading “John Deere Wins Trademark Lawsuit over Green and Yellow Color Scheme”

Boise State’s Trademark Registration for Blue Stadium Field: Trade Dress and Other Forms of Trademark Protection

The Blue Turf Boise State recently licensed its blue field design to Hosei University near Tokyo, Japan.  See article here.  It turns out that Boise State possesses a trademark registration (U.S. Trademark re. No. 3,707,623) – which protects the color blue used on artificial turf in a stadium.  Boise State’s blue stadium field trademark and licensing deal is a good example of the value of some of the more atypical forms of trademark protection and the need to think outside the box when thinking about trademark registrations.

Continue reading “Boise State’s Trademark Registration for Blue Stadium Field: Trade Dress and Other Forms of Trademark Protection”