Trademark Law

1
Trademark Law

• Jody Blanke, Professor
• Computer Information Systems and Law
• Mercer University, Atlanta

2
Trademark Law

• Combination of federal and state law
• Authority of federal law derives from regulation
  of interstate commerce
• Authority of state law derives from regulation of
  intrastate commerce

3
Protects Dual Interests

• Protects trademark owners interest in brand name
  value and good will
• Protects consumers from confusion

4
Trademarks can be

• words
• Coca Cola
• phrases
• Have it your way
• symbols
• sounds

5
586

• Intel learned that you cannot trademark numbers
  themselves
• Pentium can be trademarked
• You can trademark
• 7-Up
• Three-peat

6
Generics

• Dixie Cups
• Frisbee
• Hi-Liter
• Kitty Litter
• Kleenex
• Magic Marker
• Ping-Pong
• Popsicle
• Scotch Tape
• Sheetrock
• TV Dinners
• Wiffle Ball

• Cellophane
• Corn Flakes
• Dry Ice
• Lanolin
• Mimeograph
• Monopoly
• Pogo Stick
• Raisin Bran
• Shredded Wheat
• Thermos
• Toll House
• Trampoline

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Strength of Protection

1. Fanciful e.g., Kodak, Atari, Exxon
2. Arbitrary e.g., Apple, Amazon
3. Suggestive e.g., Compaq, Dairy Queen
4. Descriptive (must acquire a secondary
   meaning) e.g., Computerland, Ben Jerrys
5. Generic e.g., aspirin, elevator

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Trademark Infringement

• Likelihood of confusion standard
• Court looks at factors like
• similarity of goods
• sophistication of consumers
• length of time that mark has been used
• wrongful intent

9
Lexus/Lexis

• Mead Data Corp. sued Toyota in 1989
• Toyota won
• court found little chance of confusion
• perspective luxury car buyer wont come home with
  a legal database instead
• and vice versa

10
Trademark Dilution

• Federal Trademark Dilution Act of 1996
• prior to 1996 28 states had anti-dilution laws
• Must show
• famous mark
• actual dilution
• Dilution by blurring
• Dilution by tarnishment

11
Microsoft Sandwich Shoppe

• Makes a great sandwich
• Becomes very popular
• Lets go to Microsoft
• dilution by blurring?
• But after the very unfortunate e-coli incident
• dilution by tarnishment?

12
Exemptions to FTDA

• Fair use in comparative advertising
• Noncommercial use
• News reporting and commentary

13
Lexus/Lexis Revisited

• Would there be infringement today?
• Would there be dilution today?

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Web Domain Names

• New frontier for trademark law
• Early entrepreneurs registered
• www.mtv.com
• www.abc.com
• Today we call them cybersquatters

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www.delta.com 1996
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www.delta.com April 2000
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www.delta.com August 2000
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www.delta.com October 2000
19
www.nissan.com 1996
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www.nissan.com 1999
21
www.nissan.com 2006
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www.google.com
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www.froogle.com 2004
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www.booble.com 2004
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www.booble.com 2005
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www.peta.org 1996
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www.peta.org 2006
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www.candyland.com 1996
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www.candyland.com 1999
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Contested Domain Names

• www.playboyxxx.com
• www.asianplayboy.com
• www.lucentsucks.com
• www.amazom.com