Today in 1935, the game Monopoly was patented by Charles Darrow, an unemployed engineer in Germantown, Pennsylvania. There was a game at the time, about 30 years old, called The Landlord's Game, which had a lot of the familiar Monopoly features like a "Go to Jail" square and utilities and properties for purchase. With his free time, Darrow modified it, basing his rental properties on his favorite resort town, Atlantic City. For more on the creation of the board game we all ha

“I’m sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It’s just been too intelligent to come here.” ― Arthur C. Clarke April has been a very busy month for everyone especially when you consider the extraordinary, worldwide effort to get us all vaccinated (or “jabbed” as the Brits like to say) and to regain a semblance of normality in our daily lives (I’m especially looking forward to finally leaving my mask at home), but also because Ingenuity finally flew on Mars, March Madnes

As reported earlier this week in The Los Angeles Times e-newsletter, the City of Placerville, located in the Gold Mining region of northern California, stirred up unexpected controversy when the city counsel voted to revise the city's logo by removing a noose hanging in a tree in the background behind a prospector panning for gold. "Anyone with even a passing knowledge of California history is familiar with the events of Jan. 24, 1848, when a man named James W. Marshall disc

Exercise bike manufacturer, Peloton, has filed petitions with the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to cancel Mad Dogg Athletics’ registrations for the SPIN and SPINNING trademarks. #Peloton #Exercise #Biking #Gym #Spin #Spinning #USPTO #TTAB #Trademarks #Branding #IntellectualProperty #IPlawyer #OCLawyer #DavidBaker

In a move that probably surprised Mrs. Potato Head, Hasbro recently announced that it was dropping the “Mr.” from the popular plastic toy Mr. Potato Head and would now market him as gender neutral. #Hasbro #MrPotatoHead #GenderFluid #Toys #Branding #Trademarks #Copyrights #IntellectualProeprty #IPLawyer #OCLawyer #DavidBaker

“The artist brings something into the world that didn’t exist before, and he dos it without destroying something else.” - John Updike In all honesty, I am a bit bummed. I know 2020 is but a distant memory and 2021 promises a return to normalcy (of a sort), but it was hard to suffer the one-two blow delivered earlier this month when the organizers of the most highly anticipated popular media events on the West Coast announced that WonderCon 2021 and San Diego Comic-Con 2021 wo

It has been nearly 60 years since The Jetsons cartoon arrived on American televisions, but a recent USPTO trademark application filed by Astro Biosciences has elicited a trademark opposition from Hanna Barbera Productions, the cartoon’s producer, for the trademark “Astro Dog.” What product does Astro Biosciences make? Dog treats, of course. #TheJetsons #HannaBarbera #AstroBiosciences #USPTO #trademarks #trademarklaw #intellectualproperty #intellectualpropertylaw #DavidBaker #

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled that a publishing company, ComicMix, LLC, was in the wrong when it published a mashup of Ted Geisel’s book (aka Dr. Seuss) Oh, the Places You’ll Go with characters from Star Trek in a Kickstarter campaign titled Oh, the Places You’ll Boldly Go! #trademarks #copyrights #trademarklaw #copyrightlaw #DrSeuss #StarTrek #intellectualproperty #intelletualpropertylaw #IPLawyer #DavidBaker #OCLawyer

“But he who dares not grasp the thorn. Should never crave the rose.” ― Anne Bronte Did you watch the Big Game? Kinda boring, wasn’t it? Even the commercials and halftime show seemed flat to me. Maybe it was the small COVID crowd or the fact that we were still under quarantine in California, but it just didn’t feel the same. Likewise, the end of the College football season didn’t seem the same either. Other than Alabama winning the National Championship, of course. That seems

Quaker Oats is releasing a new name and logo for its "Aunt Jemima" products, finally retiring the racist stereotype that has adorned its pancake mixes and syrups for decades. The “new” brand name, Pearl Milling Company, is actually the name of the 19th century business that created the original ready-made pancake mix which became famous under the soon-to-be retired moniker. #AuntJemima #QuakerOats #branding #trademarks #intellectualproperty #intellectualpropertylaw #DavidBake

Evermore Park, a small amusement park in Utah, has filed suit against Taylor Swift and her management company alleging that the naming of her most recent album Evermore (and the sale of related merchandise) constitutes trademark infringement. Why an obscure amusement park would complain of being linked to an international recording star remains unclear. #Evermore #EvermorePark #TaylorSwift #trademarks #copyrights #intellectualproperty #FederalCourt #USPTO #intellectualpropert

Capping the weird 2020-2021 NCAA football season, the Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 52-24 in the College Football National Championship Game last month. The Championship was played at the Orange Bowl venue, but the Orange Bowl® football game had already been played nine days earlier between Texas A&M and North Carolina. Adding to the confusion, Alabama had already played in the Rose Bowl® football game on January 1, beating Notre Dame 31 to 14, but that ga

"In the long-run, every government is the exact symbol of its people, with their wisdom and unwisdom; we have to say, Like People like Government." - Thomas Carlyle So, the first week of January really happened, didn’t it? And, if you were paying attention to the unrelenting media coverage from our nation’s capital, you probably noticed several of your fellow citizens sporting stylish t-shirts, baseball caps, and even morale patches (those Velcro® backed symbols originally us

Social media users have called on Marvel (and its parent company Walt Disney Co.) to “retire” the iconic skull logo of fictional character Frank Castle (aka The Punisher) after images depicting the recent takeover of the U.S. Capital Building showed several people wearing the popular logo on t-shirts. #trademarks #trademarklaw #intellectualproperty #intellectualpropertylaw #IPLawyer

Despite having to deal with Covid-19 challenges in 2020, U.S. business will now have to contend with another challenge, higher trademark registration fees in 2021. The USPTO has announced increased fees of as much as $150 beginning January 2, 2021. If you hurry, you still have a few days to file in 2020. #USPTO #trademarks #trademarkfees #intellectualproperty #DavidBaker #IPLawyer #OCLawyer #BusinessLawyer #IPUpdate

“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” - Groucho Marx How long does a trademark last? It lasts as long as it serves the purpose of identifying the source of goods or services. And this is no less true for a popular cartoon character that debuted in 1962. The Jetsons is an animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera that originally aired in primetime on American television from 1962–1963. It featured a space age family of the same

Whether you or a loved one has contracted or been treated for it or you’re a college student whose Spring Break plans were derailed by it or you’re simply one of the millions of people worldwide whose work and personal lives have been disrupted by it, the coronavirus (and the illness it can cause, COVID-19) has forced all of us to reprioritize the things we once considered most important. Nevertheless, there are always those who would try to turn an epic tragedy into a financi

Last summer, Penn State University filed suit against (now) 80-year-old Paul L. Parshall of Naples, Florida, who has suffered two strokes and does not travel, but who has been using the trademarks "PENN STATE" and "NITTANY" in relation to selling beer and cigars (among other things). The problem? He doesn't have a license or an permission from the university to do so. In a joint report filed with the District Court last week, the university contends “Parshall’s infringement

With little fanfare and no official announcement, Sony has taken a big step towards the anticipated release of the next edition of its wildly popular gaming system, the PlayStation 5, by applying for registration of the “PS5” trademark. The PlayStation 5 is expected to be released later this year, most likely in the fall (and just in time for the holiday buying season), but Sony has been tight lipped about new features and game titles. However, if there was a surprise about t

Nerds & Geeks, It’s that time of year again ...