We love filing letters of protest. The Cohen IP Law Group frequently uses this lesser-known trademark procedure prior to the publication period to oppose a pending trademark application that may go to issuance without having to file an actual opposition proceeding. So what is a Letter of Protest? Essentially it allows a third party to…

One of the features that attract people to Facebook is the ability to “block” certain individuals like bosses, coworkers, and family from being able to view possibly incriminating or humiliating photos and status updates. These privacy settings are unique to Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg filed a patent application back in 2006 for the function–…

“We Buy Ugly Houses” is the trademark that HomeVestors of America, Inc. registered back in 2001. The company specializes in training franchisees to buy homes, “flip,” and resell the homes. HomeVestors has in subsequent years also registered variations on “We Buy Ugly Houses” such as “We Buy Ugly Houses And Make Them Nice Again” and…

The American rap group, New Boyz, has experienced large success in a short period of time. The New Boyz music capitalizes on catchy beats and lyrics like: “You’re a jerk! Jerk Jerk Jerk!” and “Tell all the homies she got bunz, bunz, bunz.” Surprisingly, the group has yet to trademark its name “New Boyz.” In…

Apple is engaged in yet ANOTHER trademark dispute in China. This time, the lawsuit involves the trademark “Snow Leopard,” which is the name of Apple’s operating system OS X 10.6 released in 2009. Jiangsu Xuebao, a Chinese company, alleges that it owns the Chinese trademark rights for “Xuebao.” You may be thinking, but wait a…

Disney released yet another mega-blockbuster new animated movie this weekend called “Brave”. To no one’s surprise, the movie scored the top box office spot and has already grossed over $80 million worldwide. Just a few days before the release of Disney’s “Brave,” a company called Phase 4 Films released a low-budget version called “Kiara the…

Did any of you moviegoers notice Will Smith’s watch during Men in Black III? Apparently, Will Smith wore the same watch, a “Hamilton Ventura”, in all three of the Men in Black movies. The watch has also graced the wrists of Elvis Presley in Blue Hawaii and Rod Sterling on The Twilight Zone. The Swatch…

Cuba and the US are at war…over Rum! Cuba’s state distillery sells the popular rum “Havana Club” in over 120 different countries (distributed through Pernod Ricard, a French company). But entry of Cuba’s delectable national drink is barred into the U.S. because of the embargo. The USPTO did however granted Havana Club International the U.S….

No Doubt enjoyed mainstream success during the 90s with hits like “Don’t Speak” and “Just a Girl.” Last week, the band announced its plans to reunite and release an album this September. The same day that the band shared the news of their planned comeback, a judge gave permission for the band’s lawsuit against video…