Uber Logo Uber Alles
The Uber logo has changed again. This time, for the better. As you may remember, way back in 2016 Uber changed its “U” logo to a more “futuristic” design. The Internet, kind soul that it is, immediately noticed that when turned 90 degrees, the logo looked like a certain part of the human anatomy: https://gizmodo.com/ubers-new-logo-its-an-asshole-1756692669. […]
Weed Spectator sued by Wine Spectator
There is no doubt that the marijuana business is a budding industry. Negative public opinions about marijuana have faded and more and more states are legalizing its medical and recreational use. New businesses are seeking the pot of gold at the end of the legal marijuana rainbow by pushing marijuana use into the mainstream. One […]
TrademarkNow is Launching a Free Search
Usually things just get more expensive over time, so it’s always great news when something comes down in price. That’s especially true with something as notoriously expensive as trademark searching. So, we were tickled to find out that our search provider, TrademarkNow, is going to be offering a free search! Trademark searching is the most […]
Comic Con Trademark: Attorneys’ Fees Are No Laughing Matter
It doesn’t happen very often, but a judge has awarded attorneys’ fees in a trademark case. For years now, San Diego Comic Con has been in a dispute with Salt Lake Comic Con over San Diego Comic Con’s COMIC-CON trademark (Back in 2014, resident cosplay expert, furry aficionado, and larping champion Kevin Hartley wrote about […]
Don’t Poke the Bear- The Aloha Poke Co. Trademark
As a trademark owner, you need to enforce your rights or you could potentially lose them, but sending out trademark cease and desist letters can be tricky. These letters can wind up circulated widely on social media, and every couple of months it seems like one devolves into a PR catastrophe. This episode of Cease […]
9th Circuit in Empire State of Mind
Today, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ended Empire record label’s trademark infringement lawsuit against 20th Century Fox Television over the name of the television show “Empire,” on First Amendment grounds. The record label, Empire Distribution Inc., which reps hip-hop artists like Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg (and is not the fictitious record store) had […]
Humvee sues “Call of Duty” Maker Activision for Trademark Infringment
AM General, has sued Activision Blizzard Inc., the maker of the popular video game “Call of Duty” for trademark infringement for using images of its Humvee military vehicles in the game. The Humvee (short for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles) has been widely used by the US military for years, and is a favorite of barbarian-turned-governer, Arnold Schwarzenegger. […]
John Lewis Christmas Ad Kicks Off the Holiday Season
Here at Trust Tree we keep a photo of Santa up year-round, so it should come as no surprise that we get super excited when the John Lewis Christmas video shows up every year. Nothing kicks off the holidays like a good, long, happy cry. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/Jw1Y-zhQURU
Trademarks Become NFL Trash Talk Fodder
It’s no secret that we are big fans of trademarks, but we understand that it’s not an exciting topic for most folks. So, we were super excited to see trademarks become the center piece of a widely-discussed Twitter beef between two NFL teams this Saturday. The feud started when the Redskins foolishly decided to go after […]
Update- Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Wins Trademark Dispute
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how Sturgis Motorcycle Rally had sued Walmart and Rushmore Photo and Gifts for use of the “Sturgis” trademark. I also pointed out that I seemed to be writing a lot about motorcycle clubs and trademarks. So, when I saw that a jury had reached a verdict in the case, […]