trademark infringement

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Twitter May Have a Problem With Its Shiny New Logo

Trademark infringement questions arise over news that Meta, Microsoft also have 'X' registered

(Newser) - "X" may not mark the spot after all for Elon Musk in his attempted rebrand of Twitter. Although Musk has officially unveiled the 24th letter of the alphabet as his social media site's new name and identity, Insider reports that rival Meta appears to own the trademark for...

Swiss Apple Growers Not Thrilled With Apple

Farmers group worries it may have to change its century-old logo in trademark battle

(Newser) - Apple the company has been around since 1976. Apple the fruit, a lot longer—which helps explain how a Swiss farmers organization has been using an apple as its logo for 111 years. But as Wired UK explains, perhaps not for much longer. The Fruit Union Suisse is in the...

Taco Bell on Trademark War: 'Taco Tuesday' Belongs to All

Fast-food giant asks Patent and Trademark Office to force smaller chain to give up rights to the term

(Newser) - Declaring a mission to liberate "Taco Tuesday" for all, Taco Bell is asking US regulators to force Wyoming-based Taco John's to abandon its long-standing claim to the trademark. Too many businesses and others refer to "Taco Tuesday" for Taco John's to be able to have exclusive...

Jack Daniel's Asks SCOTUS to Squelch Parody Dog Toy

Maker says the whiskey brand can't take a joke

(Newser) - The company that makes Jack Daniel's is not pleased with a squeaking dog toy that parodies the whiskey's signature bottle—and it wants the Supreme Court to weigh in. Jack Daniel's has asked the justices to hear its case against the manufacturer of the plastic Bad Spaniels...

Mattel Isn't Happy With 'Barbie-Que' Chips

Toy maker sues Rap Snacks and alleges trademark infringement

(Newser) - Nicki Minaj has long described herself as "Barbie." The rapper has released songs including "Barbie Dreams" and "Barbie Tingz," and her fans are known as the "Barbz." But the rapper's association with the iconic doll has finally ruffled the feathers of Barbie...

Judge Tosses Girl Scouts' Suit Arguing Branding Confusion

Boy Scouts can avoid gender references by using 'scouting,' ruling says

(Newser) - Update: The Girl Scouts have lost the legal argument that its brand and recruiting efforts have been damaged by the wording used by Boy Scouts in marketing. Because Boy Scouts are entitled to leave gender out of it by using "scouting" and similar terms, "there are no issues...

Ringo: OK, I'll Let This Sex Toy Be Called 'Ring O'

Ex-Beatle ends trademark battle over penis ring with similar-sounding name

(Newser) - Hear "Ringo Starr," and the first words you may associate with him are "the Beatles," "drummer," maybe "Octopus's Garden" —but probably not "penis rings." The 80-year-old star wanted to keep it that way, which is why he filed a...

Ugg: Australian Company Loses Trademark Case

US seller owns the name, but the term is generic Down Under

(Newser) - A US appeals court is not buying what an Australian company is selling, letting an American company keep its trademark on the word "Ugg." The name not only is synonymous with a type of sheepskin boots, but it's a symbol and point of pride for Australians. Deckers...

Fantasy Theme Park Is Suing Taylor Swift

Evermore Park isn't happy about her album title

(Newser) - Taylor Swift's lawyers are fighting a lawsuit from a fantasy theme park in Utah, saying there is little chance that album Evermore will be confused with Evermore Park, where guests are "immersed in a fantasy European hamlet of imagination," according to its website. The park, which has...

Coffee Shop: Big Company Has 'Ridiculous' Claim on Word 'Cat'

Cat and Cloud Coffee is pushing back on Caterpillar's trademark infringement claim

(Newser) - The world of copyright and trademark infringement is a tricky one that often involves David vs. Goliath battles—a truth that a coffee shop in Santa Cruz, Calif., is finding out the hard way. KSBW reports that Cat and Cloud Coffee first received a cease-and-desist order last August from none...

Girl Scouts to Boy Scouts: You Have to Keep the Word 'Boy'

GSUSA claims trademark infringement in new suit over gender-neutral 'scouts'

(Newser) - The Boy Scouts program will soon have a new name, and a more "inclusive nature" as it allows girls into its ranks, but its sister group is rankled over the whole rebrand. Per MarketWatch and Fortune , a complaint filed by the Girl Scouts of the USA on Tuesday in...

Cheetos Lawyers Up Against Peatos
Cheetos Lawyers Up
Against Peatos
Aug 21, 2018 11:00 AM CDT

Cheetos Lawyers Up Against Peatos

Accuses healthier alternative of copyright infringement

(Newser) - They're orange, and they're called Peatos. The takeoff on Cheetos is unmistakable, and the snack behemoth isn't happy about it. The Wall Street Journal reports that Cheetos maker Frito-Lay, a division of PepsiCo, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to World Peas Brand Peatos . The Cheetos lawyers say...

Happy Ending for Grumpy Cat: $710K Awarded in Suit

Beverage company owners had countersued feline's team over licensing deal tied to coffee

(Newser) - Taking on Starbucks and its mermaid logo: an iced coffee drink featuring Grumpy Cat. That was the plan, anyway, per the owners of a beverage company who say they teamed up with the famous feline's owners to start the brand, then say they were let down by the Grumpy...

Selling 'Tiffany' Engagement Rings Just Cost Costco $19.4M

Judge rules against warehouse club, which sold jewelry using Tiffany brand name

(Newser) - A federal judge's decision on trademark infringement likely has Costco executives feeling blue—but definitely not Tiffany blue. Per CNBC , US District Judge Laura Taylor Swain ruled Monday the warehouse club must fork over $19.4 million in damages, plus interest, to the luxury jeweler for selling diamond engagement...

Indian Eatery Pays Rival $700K in Trademark Tiff

NJ's Kati Rolls & Platters had to change its name, signage

(Newser) - The less fortunate party in a battle of Indian restaurants in New York and New Jersey has agreed to fork over $700,000, apparently just to get his rival off his back. The Kati Roll Company—whose owner claims it was the first restaurant of its kind in the US...

Jury: Coke's .3% Pomegranate Juice Was A-OK

POM says company 'intentionally confused consumers'

(Newser) - For almost a decade, pomegranate juice company POM Wonderful has claimed consumers were duped by Minute Maid's pomegranate-blueberry juice, which actually contained far more apple and grape juice. But finding that POM failed to show Minute Maid-owner Coca-Cola misled consumers, a jury sided with Coke in a Los Angeles...

Trader Joe's Accused of Stealing a Popular Cookie

'Malicious and calculated to injure Pepperidge Farm'

(Newser) - In news that broke Friday—shattering the innocence of National Cookie Day —Pepperidge Farm is suing Trader Joe's over alleged cookie trademark infringement. Pepperidge Farm claims the grocery chain's Crispy Cookies are too similar to its Milano cookies, which it started selling in 1956 and registered a...

John Wayne Heirs, Duke Fight to Lasso His Nickname

University doesn't want Wayne estate using 'Duke' on its bourbon bottles

(Newser) - John Wayne’s family and Duke University are riding a litigious path into the sunset. The American icon's heirs have sued the academic institution for the right to market bottles of bourbon using the word "Duke," the late legend’s famous nickname, reports the AP . The bottles...

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