Trademark

trade dress

McDonald’s golden arches, red and blue Chevron gas stations, and Dunkin’ Donuts pink and orange signs are familiar to most consumers. In legal parlance, these distinctive concepts are referred to as “trade dress.” Like trademarks, trade dress can be registered on the principal registry of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). As we […]

TM is for Trademarks

An overlooked aspect of the marijuana legalization movement is its effect upon research and use of psychedelic substances such as psilocybin and LSD. Both substances are now subject of legitimate therapeutic research with renewed interest in potential legalization. Who would have guessed? Now comes along an enterprising entrepreneur and files a trademark application for the term PSILOCYBIN, which is […]

Noun Confusion

Whether you are a regular reader of our newsletter or not, you should be familiar with the concept of  “trademark infringement.” That’s when a business uses a trademark that is the same as or similar to that of another business, which causes confusion among consumers over the source of the goods or services. Typically, this involves […]

trademark psychedelic goods

Last month we wrote about a recent registration of the term PSILOCYBIN for educational materials related to psychoactive plants. The point of our article was that applying for generic terms as trademarks is not the most effective strategy for developing a distinctive brand. Now, sadly, a flurry of coronavirus-related trademark applications raises similar concerns. In a […]

Cannabis Candy

Terphogz simply helped itself to Wrigley’s famous SKITTLES Marks, picking “ZKITTLEZ” as the name of its drugs, knocking off Wrigley’s federally registered TASTE THE RAINBOW slogan, and even copying Wrigley’s S logo. Terphogz appears to be a legitimate California company. Why would it believe that it could avoid a lawsuit by marketing a knockoff of […]

Ever been approached by an enterprising salesperson with a coat full of fake Rolex watches?  It’s a risky business. The FBI, federal marshals, customs officials and brand owners may be involved in enforcing trademark and anti-counterfeiting laws. Did you know that not only sellers but their landlords may be liable? Under a theory of contributory […]