I noticed a well known food related domain name is available. What's the deal if I register it? [more inside]
posted on May 3, 2008 - 14 answers

I have a few basic business questions about a trademark and changing the business address when I move. Any advice would be great! [more inside]
posted on Apr 29, 2008 - 3 answers

I just got a cease and desist letter from a company that claims the Hollywood sign is one of it's clients. They are demanding monetary damages for a tourist photo of the sign I have on my website. Help. WTF? Etc. [more inside]
posted on Apr 9, 2008 - 47 answers

What can a free online game do about a domain squatting / potential IP infringement situation, that doesn't involve commercial legal advice? [more inside]
posted on Apr 2, 2008 - 2 answers

What protections does a state trademark provide that a federal trademark does not? [more inside]
posted on Mar 24, 2008 - 2 answers

This group blog/community site for parents that I contribute to is under attack from a better-funded competitor. Help. [more inside]
posted on Mar 22, 2008 - 10 answers

Webhost takes down open source project website in response to legal threat from small company with similar name, similar product. What can be done? [more inside]
posted on Feb 6, 2008 - 10 answers

Is it necessary to include ® or ™ symbols on every instance of a logo or brand name? [more inside]
posted on Jan 23, 2008 - 6 answers

Copyright filter, again! There have been lots and lots of threads discussing trademark vs. copyright, etc, but in my searching I did not find the answer to this question: what will happen when Mickey Mouse goes out of copyright? [more inside]
posted on Jan 16, 2008 - 10 answers

What should I know about trademarks and copyrights before launching a web comics site? [more inside]
posted on Jan 11, 2008 - 5 answers

Can you really hold copyright to a business model/idea/concept, and disallow others from duplicating it? If not, then how is The Sampler able to do so? [more inside]
posted on Dec 21, 2007 - 26 answers

A client asked a bunch of extra work of me, which I did on good faith, and is now shafting me on extra payment. What are my options? [more inside]
posted on Sep 27, 2007 - 17 answers

Should we trademark our company brand? [more inside]
posted on Sep 5, 2007 - 12 answers

What is this gibberish blog using our company name? [more inside]
posted on Jul 20, 2007 - 11 answers

Does trademark law really offer any basis for the practice of using legal threats to prevent a trademark from becoming common usage? This article in the Google Blog strongly suggests that trademark law prohibits me from using (in a non-commercial context like a post on MeFi) the verb "to google" to mean "to search on the Yahoo search engine." Is this so? [more inside]
posted on Oct 26, 2006 - 30 answers

Domain name dance: how best to sell to trademark holder, or use it myself? [more inside]
posted on Oct 13, 2006 - 12 answers

How can I learn about intellectual property law before I go to law school? [more inside]
posted on Oct 10, 2006 - 13 answers

I'm wondering about the way that trademarks can be enforced in a very specific instance. [more inside]
posted on Oct 2, 2006 - 16 answers

If a fictional brand from an American movie or tv show does not show up as trademarked in a search at the USPTO, is there any legal barrier to making and selling products displaying that brand (or an original image depicting the brand in cases where no image of it has ever been shown)? [more inside]
posted on Aug 22, 2006 - 16 answers

Whats the process like for trademarking a new for a multi-media studio that does music videos and short films? [more inside]
posted on Jul 15, 2006 - 6 answers

I have some copyright and trademark questions for the fine folks at AskMe. Ok, so I run this online t-shirt store and I had a design based on Godzilla playing the drums. I know some of the Godzilla movies had passed into the public domain, so I just assumed (or perhaps hoped) that would place my design firmly into fair use territory. Welp, I got a cease and desist from the folks that own the trademark and copyright on Godzilla, so I was just hoping to find out more about my options here. [more inside]
posted on May 9, 2006 - 27 answers

Is it possible to perform computer analysis to determine the similarities and/or differences between two logos? [more inside]
posted on Feb 28, 2006 - 15 answers

Another MeFi trademark question: A small restaurant chain (let’s say ABCFood) opened in Colorado in 1996 and closed all its locations in Q4 2004. All of ABCFood’s state business registrations are in "Delinquent" and/or "Administratively Dissolved" status, and the proprietor has moved on to other endeavors. The USPTO still has a "live" listing for ABCFood’s trademark, though, as mentioned, the mark is no longer maintained. What obstacles would stop someone from hypothetically opening a similar chain with the name ABCFood in another state?
posted on Feb 7, 2006 - 8 answers

I run a small local computer repair business. I have a website and i have acquired a DBA (assumed name) in the name that i use for my business. the problem is that my website, lets call it computer repair man for example, i own THECOMPUTERREPAIRMAN.com. the site without the word "the" infront of it is taken by someone else. If they havent trademarked "computer repairman" can I? Or if they were using it first without TM do they still have the rights to it? If they have already done it, can i trademark "the computer repairman"? How else can i protect my companies identity??
posted on Jan 26, 2006 - 12 answers

Trademarks - There's a forum-style website called IKEAforum and it displays the IKEA logo, but has a disclaimer that the site has no sponsorship or affiliation whatsoever with IKEA. Is the creator of this website at risk for a lawsuit from IKEA for trademark violation? (due to the URL, use of logo, etc). Could IKEA shut him down? Does it matter that it's not a money-making site (and sells no ad space)? If I created a similar site regarding another retailer (but NOT using its logo) -- how risky is that? Free legal advice is welcome ;-)
posted on Jan 5, 2006 - 15 answers

CalgonFilter: Ancient Chinese secret or ticket to "away" . . . or both? [more inside]
posted on Dec 20, 2005 - 7 answers

I'm starting weight watcher's with my spouse. She brought home this slide rule thingy that calculates the top secret WW points allowance by measuring fiber, fat, and calories. Has this slide rule thing been reduced to a simple formula anywhere on the internets? [more inside]
posted on Nov 28, 2005 - 26 answers

What's the deal with blurring out logos? [more inside]
posted on Nov 1, 2005 - 19 answers

Can sound effects be trademarked? [more inside]
posted on Sep 23, 2005 - 14 answers

Is there any legal reason that a registered trademark symbol (®) HAS to be a capital letter "R" inside a perfect Euclidean circle, even in a typeface that renders other round characters like "O" and "0" otherwise? I'm willing to let the "R" go, but our QA department at my job insists that only a true circle is legal. For examples of fonts that use other-than-round ® signs, see here, here, and here(That last example might be too extreme, admittedly). The USPTO website says nothing about typefaces.
posted on Aug 10, 2005 - 32 answers

What are the legal issues around using a company's trademark in a domain name? [more inside]
posted on Jul 31, 2005 - 8 answers

A relative of mine has come up with a perfect acronym. Is there money to be made? [more inside]
posted on Jul 26, 2005 - 11 answers

Our band has been using a .cc domain name since 1999 in hopes that we could snap up to .com version. The .com version has been purchased by a domain registrar... [more inside]
posted on Jun 18, 2005 - 18 answers

I'm looking to register a trademark. Searches on here have revealed some great answers on how to check if a trademark has been registered, etc, but I have not seen any recommendations for actually doing it. I'm thinking I'll need legal help to get it right, so can anybody recommend a moderately priced service or firm that they have used?
posted on Mar 22, 2005 - 7 answers

There's a guy out there on the web that has chosen to name his blog after me, Armando Bellmas. Instead of feeling flattered, I feel used. As a photographer my name is my business name, too, and I can't have this guy moving in on my turf. I don't know him nor have I given him permission to use my name. Plus, his blog is coming up in the top ten search results for my name at Google. He has not replied to any of my email inquiries and, short of calling an attorney for advice, I'm turning to you guys and the web for help. Thanks in advance.
posted on Feb 11, 2005 - 32 answers

Circle C=copyright
Circle R=registered trademark
Circle P=?

Never come across Circle P before. What kind of rights does that designate? Found on a CD of nature sounds.
posted on Jul 16, 2004 - 12 answers