In a case that presents a crossfire of First Amendment and intellectual property issues, the Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday in a case involving an Asian-American band that calls itself “the Slants.” The Slants had been denied a trademark for their name by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) under a Federal law that […]
I’m sure Jenny Lee Molina, the founder and principal of the Miami public relations firm JLPR, publicist JennyLee Molina, thought she struck gold when she came up with “#305Cafecito” to designate 3:05pm as the official time in Miami to grab a little cup of Spanish coffee (“un cafecito”). After all, 305 is the area code […]
Looks like the Port Authority of NY and NJ which operates many of the City’s tunnels and bridges and the World Trade Center site, has finally moved off of BridgeGate and corruption issues and to to bigger fish. Specifically Fish’s Eddy, a quirky NYC housewares store. The NY Times reports today that Port Authority Lawyer […]
While the Supreme Court this week declared the good news that racism in America is over, allowing States to ban the use of affirmative action in public universities, it was also hearing arguments in a case that sounds trivial but could have a huge impact on esoteric world of food-labeling. Before POM Wonderful LLC started […]
Last month, an examining attorney for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has rejected a Washington State potato company’s application to trademark “Washington Redskin Potatoes,” in part because the name could be seen as derogatory to Native Americans. The ruling could mean trouble for the Washington Redskins football team, as the USPTO is […]
Having been constantly inundated with request by friends to play Candy Crush Saga on Facebook, I confess to not being a fan of the game. But I write this post as objectively as possible nevertheless. For those who don’t know, Candy Crush Saga is a Facebook Game and mobile phone app that is a version […]
Starbucks received a big legal blow last week when the Second Circuit (NY’s Federal Appeals Court) held that use of the phrase “Charbucks” by a New Hampshire coffeehouse does not dilute the “Starbucks” trademark. The Black Bear Coffee Micro Roastery in New Hampshire began marketing “Charbucks Blend” and “Mister Charbucks Coffee” in 1997 and was […]
Companies spend lots of money these days on their website design. For many businesses, their website is their only portal to obtain new clients; for others, its a large part of their marketing strategy; and for the rest its at least their company’s main presence on the web. So its perfectly understandable that a business […]
In May of this year, Chef Dominique Ansel of Dominque Ansel Bakery in Manhattan, came up with a new product that combined the laminated dough of a croissant with the shape and sweetness of a donut. He came up with and trademarked a catchy name for the item: The Cronut. Like so many things in […]
Copyright 2009-2018 Oscar Michelen.