Cities | The Trademark Firm

Dallas Trademark Search

June 2, 2016 by ddawsey

Dallas Trademark News & Resources

Since the end of 2015, Dallas has been one of four American cities where the United States Patent and Trademark Office has located a regional branch office, with the others in Detroit, Denver and San Jose. This creates a wealth of convenience for the estimated 200,000 Dallas-area people who have serious technical backgrounds in semiconductors, telecommunications, automotive and military technology and application development. While the office will primarily deal with patent matters, the location of the office in Dallas is a credit to the vitality of small business – many of whom are trademark owners. The office is open weekdays, 9-4, and may be reached at (469) 295-9000. To view updates from the USPTO, including the Dallas regional office, go to: http://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates

View our page for more information and resources on Trademarks in Dallas.

Houston Trademarks

June 2, 2016 by ddawsey

Houston Trademark News & Resources

Can “Space City” be an Owned Trademark?

For an acerbic, and highly humorous, article on the trademark wrangling between the Houston Convention Bureau and “Space City Comic Con” see this article here.

But the dispute masks an interesting point about trademark law. One of the bedrock principles of trademark is that an owner must police its own trademark, and take action against potentially infringing uses. In this case, the convention bureau appears to have let four years pass before taking action against the comic convention? Is that too much time? Has the bureau possible lost some of its trademark rights by delaying? Or are they overreaching anyway, regardless of the amount of time? “Time” and the courts may tell.

View our page for more information on Trademark Search in Houston.

New York City Trademarks

June 2, 2016 by ddawsey

New York Trademark News & Resources

Did you know that the New York Public Library is a member of the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent and Trademark Resource Center program? As part of that program, the library provides resources and education to the public about the use of Patent and Trademark materials and other resources (primarily those found on the Internet), and provide access to many of those resources at their Science, Industry and Business Library location. They also a wealth of information about Patents and Trademarks, as well as individual consultations about researching Patents and Trademarks. During regular library hours, they provide some assistance by telephone at 917-ASK-NYPL (917-275-6975). Learn more at their patent and trademark website: http://www.nypl.org/node/5723

View our page for more information on Trademarks in New York City.

Atlanta Trademark

June 2, 2016 by ddawsey

Atlanta Trademark News & Resources

The Patent & Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) at Georgia Tech Library has been a trademark depository library since 1946. Although they cannot do the application for you or give legal advice, they offer a wealth of resources to help you make your search of patent and trademark databases more efficient. They can also help instruct you in the use of the search tools available at the Library for you to conduct your own patent and trademark searches.

They offer online classes and personal instruction, details of which can be found at: http://libguides.gatech.edu/c.php?g=53972&p=348359 On-site consultation and training may be arranged by appointment based on availability. To make an appointment, please email (patentscoordinator@library.gatech.edu) or call (404-385-7185) first.

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Chicago Trademark

June 2, 2016 by ddawsey

Chicago Trademark News & Resources

Can Out-of-State Entities Claim “Chicago Style?”

Two out-of-state entities from Minnesota and Connecticut are fighting for trademark rights in the popcorn business, leading one to speculate on how far place names can be taken in trademark. Is there such a thing as “Chicago Style” popcorn, and if, isn’t that a descriptive phrase that might not be eligible for trademark protection? You can read a bit about the dispute here.

The scene was set when St. Paul, Minnesota popcorn maker Candyland, Inc. secured the right to the mark CHICAGO MIX® over some other food giants. And as one might expect, after that battle, they weren’t please when Westport, Connecticut based “Popcorn, Indiana” began selling “Chicago Style” popcorn through such major outlets as Wal-Mart, Walgreen’s, CVS and Whole Foods.

The case is just getting underway, but you can read the Complaint as filed by Candyland . Candyland alleges trademark infringement, federal unfair competition, violations of Minnesota Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and trademark dilution (use of a similar mark that “dilutes” the reputation of a “famous” mark).

Oddly enough, so far, neither of the litigants, nor Candyland’s lawyers, are from Chicago. Will Popcorn, Indiana hire a Chicago firm to fight for the name “Chicago Style?” We’ll see.