Category: Trademark Rights

No “Zilla” Confusion: Zillow Loses Opposition to LoanZilla Trademark Application

The online real estate database Zillow flexed its muscle recently with the announcement that it will acquire its competitor Trulia for $3.5 billion, giving it about 61% of total home listing internet searches. With such power Zillow is established as a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately for Zillow, its might doesn’t hold much influence over the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which recently rejected Zillow’s opposition to LoanZilla’s trademark application. The Office determined that there is no likelihood of confusion between Zillow’s registered trademark and the LoanZilla mark that LoanZilla applied to register.

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Duck Dynasty Facing Trademark Infringement Lawsuit over Use of “My Favorite Color is Camo”

Duck Dynasty, the popular A&E television program, is big on camouflage. But the Dynasty crew may have overstepped its camo bounds when it proclaimed that “My Favorite Color is Camo.” This proclamation and use of the phrase on branded merchandise has recently led to a lawsuit. The Duck group is facing a trademark infringement challenge from a Florida company claiming Dynasty’s use of the phrase “My Favorite Color is Camo” infringes on its trademark registration.

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Will the Real Comic-Con Please Stand Up? San Diego Comic-con Exerts Trademark Registration against Salt Lake Comic Con

Comic-Con has become a big deal. Multiple conventions are held annually throughout the country. Thousands of people attend. But the San Diego installment of the event wants to make sure that everyone knows that it is the real, original Comic-Con and is taking action to do so.

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Taser Trademark Registration Rights: Don’t Tase Me Bro!

Almost everyone remembers the video clip of University of Florida student Andrew Meyer yelling the iconic phrase “Don’t tase me bro!” Meyer caused a major disruption at a town hall forum and was caught on video yelling “Don’t tase me bro!” while being subdued by campus police. (Click here to see video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bVa6jn4rpE) Of course, Meyer wasn’t thinking about the implications for the stun gun manufacturer Taser International’s trademark registrations. But the ensuing pop culture wave and spread of the phrase has Taser International and its trademark lawyers very concerned about Taser’s trademark registration rights. (Click here to see related Huffington Post article.) see story here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/05/taser-trademark-company-tasered_n_2218763.html)

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This Bud’s for You… and You? Trademark Rights Battle over Budweiser Brand Name

budweiser protecting trademark rightsWith the amount of money spent on marketing, it’s a pretty good bet that nearly every adult in the United States is familiar with the Budweiser trademark for beer.  But it may be a surprise to learn that the beer brewed by Anheuser-Busch is not the only beer marketed under the trademark Budweiser.  A small brewer in the Czech Republic also has trademark rights to the name Budweiser and Anheuser-Busch is not happy about it.  (Click here to see MSN Money Article on this topic.)

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