Posts by Jon Wachs, Esq.
Friday Factoid Quiz: Red Logos and Trademarks
Red is the color of Valentine’s Day, love, hearts, passion, romance, and anger. It is also the color of several famous logos, marks, and works of art. Test your knowledge of these red-themed items of popular intellectual property:
Read MoreFriday Factoid Quiz: British Brands
January 31, 2020, is slated to be “Brexit Day” – the day on which the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. To mark the occasion, test your knowledge of these famous British marks:
Read MoreFriday Factoid Quiz: Pseudonyms and Stage Names
January 8th, 2020 would have been the 73rd birthday for David Bowie. The singer and songwriter was born as David Robert Jones, but he adopted a new public name to avoid confusion with the established celebrity musician David Jones, a/k/a Davy Jones of The Monkees. Many authors, musicians, and actors adopt new names to distinguish themselves from others, preserve their anonymity and/or use names that are perceived to possess greater brand strength. To honor David Bowie and his creative spirit, test your knowledge of these well-recognized pseudonyms and fictitious stage names:
Read MoreFriday Factoid Quiz: Celebrating Ben Franklin
Ben Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 – 314 years ago! To celebrate the birthday and life of a man who was both a well-loved Founding Father and one of our country’s greatest inventors, test your knowledge of these innovations and published works from Ben Franklin:
Read MoreFriday Factoid Quiz: Consumer Electronics Brands
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the nation’s largest annual convention, provides an early look at the latest technological advancements for the electronic products we love to purchase and use. Last year’s CES attracted more than 175,000 attendees. The 2020 show – the 53rd CES – is being held in Las Vegas from January 7-10. To mark the occasion, test your knowledge of trademarks for these leading brands from the world of consumer electronics:
Read MoreFriday Factoid Quiz: Blue Logos
Pantone, which maintains the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM of colors used by many companies in the graphic design, fashion design, product design, manufacturing and printing industries, named its Classic Blue (color 19-4052) as the color of the year for 2020, which is identified as “a reassuring presence instilling calm, confidence and connection.” Color claims are often used as part of a registered mark and can add value to the strength of a proprietary brand. To celebrate 2020’s Color of the Year, test your knowledge of these famous blue brands:
Read MoreFriday Factoid Quiz: 2019-2020 – The Eyes Have It
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! While 2020 represents the new year, it is also associated with perfect vision. To mark the occasion, test your knowledge of these intellectual property-themed items relating to eyes and vision:
Read MoreFriday Factoid Quiz: Seinfeld
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the series premiere for Seinfeld, the NBC sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. Several popular terms and catchphrases made famous by the show (such as No Soup for You, Yada Yada Yada and Low Talker) are still widely recognized more than 20 years after the end of the series. To honor the intellectual property created by this 1990s hit comedy show, test yourself with this Seinfeld trivia:
Read MoreFriday Factoid Quiz: Top Inventions of 2019
Each year, companies introduce transformative products that make our lives more enjoyable and easier. These innovative products are built upon the inspiration and perspiration of world-class inventors. They are likely to be the subject of patent and trademark applications and plans for the development and sale of these products are likely guarded as trade secrets. Test your knowledge of these leading inventions from 2019 – which were recognized on this year’s “Best Inventions” list from Time magazine:
Read MoreFriday Factoid Quiz: Popular Brands That Are Often Misused
The USPTO can cancel the registration of a mark that becomes the generic word for an entire category of products instead of a proprietary word to identify the offerings of a specific company. Terms such as cellophane, escalator, laundromat, thermos, and trampoline used to be proprietary marks but are now treated as generic words. Companies sometimes use the word BRAND and a generic product description after their marks (i.e., KLEENEX® brand facial tissues) so their marks are not treated as generic. Test your knowledge of these popular brands, which are sometimes used to reference a general category of products but are still registered with the USPTO:
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