Protecting brands

Greenpeace has decided to capitalise on the current anti-BP feeling by sponsoring a competition for graphic designers to “re-design” the BP logo.
According to them, “BP’s slick green logo doesn’t suit a company that wants to invest in tar sands, the dirtiest oil there currently is.”
Contestants are encouraged to modify the logo to match evil BP’s [...]

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The organiser of themed dinner parties has been warned by Warner Bros against holding a Harry Potter party on Halloween.
Warner Bros pulled out the trade mark and copyright guns and alleged infringement.
This reminds me of the time Disney told a kindergarten they weren’t allowed to have a Disney themed concert.
Can the studios prevent themed parties?
Not [...]

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India’s Congress Party has bought a licence to use Jai Ho, the Oscar winning song from the film Slumdog Millionaire for approximately AUS$300,000. The Congress Party have wasted no time in claiming political rival the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has infringed Congress’ rights for playing the song during a political event.
Popular Bollywood songs are often [...]

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A federal court judge in Seattle has ordered Electric Hendrix Vodka be pulled from store shelves, that all advertising and marketing be stopped, and $3.2 million (USD) in damages be paid to 2 companies owned by Jimi Hendrix’s estate, Authentic Hendrix and Experience Hendrix, for infringing trade marks and licensing rights.
Businessman Craig Dieffenbach and Jimi [...]

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Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. has sued a hotel in Flushing, New York state for trade mark infringement.
Yisongting Hotel is a hotel catering primarily for Chinese speaking visitors. Starwood alleges that the Yisongting’s wreath logo (left, above) is too similar to the Sheraton trade mark (left, below). The Yisongting logo is promoted on the [...]

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Following on from my earlier post about the Bratz / Barbie litigation, a US jury has awarded Mattel $100 million for the infringement of its rights, finding that Bratz dolls were wrongfully created using intellectual property taken by former Mattel employees.
Mattel had asked for $1.8 billion, $1 billion in Bratz profits and interest, and [...]

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The Walt Disney Co has been sued for trade mark infringement by THOIP, the owner of the “Little Miss” and “Mr. Men” marks.
The “Little Miss” merchandise range has gained attention recently after Britney Spears and Paris Hilton were photographed wearing the shirts, which are sold at Disneyland.
Disney has also been selling shirts with similar captions, [...]

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Apple and CBS are facing a trade mark infringement claim by manufacturer Man & Machine over their use of the name Mighty Mouse.
Man & Machine claims that their rights pre-date Apple’s because they sold a waterproof mouse (pictured) called the Mighty Mouse in 2004 – at least a year before Apple launched its product.
But they [...]

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