There's this grafitti tagger here in town who scrawls his name everywhere in big black magic marker. On the sides of mailboxes, on walls, on doors. Thing is, it's a nice design and he's got a catchy name. I was thinking the other day that if I started a clothing line, I would like to use his tag as my trademark logo. Chances are, he hasn't trademarked his tag. If I decided to trademark it myself, then deployed it as the name of my clothing line, as well as use his scrawl on the backs of the hoodies I sold - legally, would he have any recourse?
posted by Sully on Oct 8, 2009 - 29 answers

I run a website dedicated to vintage PC games (that is, games from the late 80s, early 90s). Ad revenue has been declining, and a co-admin suggested making t-shirts to sell to support the site. I have questions about what art/words we can use on the shirts. [more inside]
posted by IndigoRain on Aug 17, 2009 - 10 answers

Trademark issues [more inside]
posted by allelopath on Aug 9, 2009 - 8 answers

Can I use the "Time Management Matrix" in a commercial software product without any legal repercussions? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 29, 2009 - 2 answers

Usernames, trademarks, and Facebook. Someone e-mailed my friend, saying that he owned the trademark to his name and has the right to demand that he turn over his username to him. [more inside]
posted by krisken on Jun 18, 2009 - 31 answers

Am I infringing on a trademark? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 6, 2009 - 18 answers

What's the cheapest, simplest, most effective way to stop somebody else from owning my logo? [more inside]
posted by philip-random on Jun 3, 2009 - 14 answers

Somebody stole and is reproducing artwork that I never copyrighted or trademarked. What can I do? Details inside... [more inside]
posted by maalsa on Apr 16, 2009 - 18 answers

Can copyrighted images be used on grave markers? [more inside]
posted by kwaller on Mar 11, 2009 - 16 answers

I have invented a calendar that I think is unique in design and function. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind on Feb 8, 2009 - 12 answers

How dangerous would it be to make and sell an anti-"insert name of big box retailer here" t-shirt? [more inside]
posted by fenriq on Jan 23, 2009 - 15 answers

Can Spoonflower or a similar company legally print me a bolt of fabric using a William Morris (1834-1896) design? [more inside]
posted by notquitemaryann on Jan 7, 2009 - 9 answers

What are some good resources for designing a logo for my company? [more inside]
posted by coachjerry on Dec 26, 2008 - 13 answers

Should I rename my Open Source project because someone owning a trademark with the same name wants me to? [more inside]
posted by schwa on Oct 31, 2008 - 30 answers

I think a company is trying to do an end-around to get my domain name, what can I do about it? [more inside]
posted by rhizome on Oct 30, 2008 - 8 answers

Does my Flickr photo infringe on a trademark? Do I have to remove it? [more inside]
posted by bryanjbusch on Sep 16, 2008 - 21 answers

This is a bit of a follow up to this question. I'm contemplating a small comics project staring a fictionalised version of HP Lovecraft (something I've done before but thsi will be slight higher profile) and the title will be something along the lnes of "H.P. Lovecraft's World of Weirdness". Is the use of his name in the title like that, which might imply some kind of authorship or endorsement or somesuch, likely to bring the Lovecraft estate down on me like a ton of bricks?
posted by Artw on Aug 26, 2008 - 7 answers

I noticed a well known food related domain name is available. What's the deal if I register it? [more inside]
posted by anonymous 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 by grablife365 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 by Ragma 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 by bifter on Apr 2, 2008 - 2 answers

What protections does a state trademark provide that a federal trademark does not? [more inside]
posted by Mr_Crazyhorse 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 by eve harrington 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 by _aa_ 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 by andreux 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 by gregvr on Jan 16, 2008 - 10 answers

What should I know about trademarks and copyrights before launching a web comics site? [more inside]
posted by EatTheWeak 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 by divabat 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 by anonymous on Sep 27, 2007 - 17 answers

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

What is this gibberish blog using our company name? [more inside]
posted by Joleta 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 by winston on Oct 26, 2006 - 30 answers

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

How can I learn about intellectual property law before I go to law school? [more inside]
posted by brett 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 by maniactown 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 by kookoobirdz 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 by cheero 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 by Jezztek 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 by AgentRocket 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 by fourstar 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 by Bjkokenos 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 by nancoix on Jan 5, 2006 - 15 answers

CalgonFilter: Ancient Chinese secret or ticket to "away" . . . or both? [more inside]
posted by Fezboy! 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 by mecran01 on Nov 28, 2005 - 26 answers

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

Can sound effects be trademarked? [more inside]
posted by pzarquon 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 by 40 Watt on Aug 10, 2005 - 32 answers

What are the legal issues around using a company's trademark in a domain name? [more inside]
posted by dripdripdrop 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 by tayknight 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 by KevinSkomsvold on Jun 18, 2005 - 18 answers