In the last few years, games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero have turned everyday Joe’s into rock stars. Following this trend, the new toy guitars called “Paper Jamz” feature pre-programmed songs that can be played with ease by pretty much anyone with two hands. Apparently some ‘real’ guitar makers aren’t too crazy about…

The end of the year is still a few months off, but Time magazine has decided to call it early… Last week, Time issued its annual “50 Best Inventions”article. It’s an interesting and fun look at (arguably) the cream of this year’s crop of ingenuity and creativity. Some of these inventions, like the iPad and…

Think you have a good idea? The Emmy and Telly-Award-winning PBS television show “Everyday Edisons” announced recently that it is currently casting for its fourth season, set to air summer of 2011. The program is looking for 10 small-time inventors with big ideas. According to their Web site, www.edisonnation.com: They will pick 10 outstanding innovations….

Among the already-raunchy assortment of reality TV shows, the new “Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel” is pushing the envelope. And the Hard Rock Cafe International, Inc. chain (a different company than Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel & Casino) doesn’t find the debauchery very entertaining. The Hard Rock Café recently filed a law suit…

This might be a tough case for the pancake people, for a couple of reasons. First is the issue of likelihood of confusion. One organization is a light n’ fluffy breakfast food chain. The other is a small, aesthetically different house of worship. Additionally, the house of prayer in Pasadena actually uses the acronym PIHOP….

You can bet social media megalith Facebook is actively scanning the horizon for would be intellectual property infringers. And a few weeks ago it found one. A new online community for teachers, called “Teachbook,” is using a similar networking platform to Facebook. Facebook fears that adding the “–book” suffix to words could create a whole…

Really good trademarks often become so ingrained in the public mind that they start to take on a life of their own, distinct from the original source. Take the mega-lucrative Star Wars universe, for example. Ever since George Lucas created Star Wars, he’s had his full protecting trademarks like “Jedi,” “Lightsaber,” and even “Droid.” A…

Last year, Anthony “Tommy” Iommi, long-time guitarist for Black Sabbath, and Ozzy Osbourne got in contact with each other about the band. However, this new Black Sabbath collaboration didn’t involve any music. John “Ozzy” Osbourne sued Iommi for trademark infringement in the U.S. District Court (case no. 1:09-cv-04947) Apparently, in 2000, Iommi filed a trademark…

Lady Gaga started her 2010 “Monster Ball” tour with a pre-emptive trademark infringement lawsuit. In the past, non-licensed merchandise vendors were tolerated outside large concerts, so long as they didn’t interfere too much with legitimate merchandise sales. But lately, the music industry is taking greater measures to remain profitable. These cases, known as “John Doe”…