Trademark law gives you the exclusive rights to protect your brand, not to misemploy the law ridiculously. There has always been a mad world out there. There are so many trademark ideas out there. Besides all the serious lawsuits, let’s check out these crazy claims and defences of trademark ever issued.
Monster Cable thinks they own the right to the word ‘MONSTER’
An American company, ‘Monster, Inc.’ which is best known for its audio and video cables. Over the years the company is somewhat famous as a trademark bully. Monster Cable has invested a lot in MONSTER as their premium brand, holds more than 70 such trademarks. It really seemed absurd. It has fought about 190 monsters battles. So, legal actions are nothing new for Monster Cable, since the company has fought more monsters than Godzilla did.
The monster cable has sued the purveyors of the monster brand because their names are too similar, monster transmission, monster mini golf, monster energy drinks, chicago bears their nickname is ‘monster of the midway’ despite the fact they are totally unrelated businesses.
This may not be the end of the battles; there are many more things they should sue because they think their customers are stupid to know the difference among a cartoon, an energy drink and a golf ball.
T-Mobile owns the ‘Magenta Color’
T-mobile, a major wireless network operator, trademarked magenta colour as their colour. The shade of pink featured T-Mobile products in magenta. T-Mobile does not refrain from reminding the fact of the magenta colour.
T- Mobile sued against Aio Wireless, a subsidiary of AT&T accuses of using its traditional magenta colour. It seems the company is more concerned about its magenta colour. Before also the company notify the tech web site Engadget for using the magenta colour in a couple of words in their logo.
To refrain the company from the logo that bears any resemblance to T-Mobile’s, but a colour? Did any company use another’s trademarked colour purposely? T-Mobile is convinced that people would get confused when they think of magenta colour. But, what if magenta colour hues in the rainbow? Is T-Mobile going to sue God for using their trademarked colour? The concept of own a colour as trademark sign seems so ludicrous. What about the freedom of artistic expression?
KFC tried to claim the Tan Hill Pub of using its trademark phrase ‘FAMILY FEAST’
Kentucky Fried Chicken, popularly known by its initials KFC, is the fast food giant restaurant chain. KFC own the phrase ‘FAMILY FEAST’ to advertise its products which include a bucket of fried chicken, chips, coleslaw, gravy and a bottle of fizzy drink.
KFC filed a lawsuit against the Tan Hill Pub for using the trademark phrase ‘Family Feast’. Tan Hill Inn is the England’s highest pub in Britain which is lies between Brough and Reeth. On every Christmas only, the pub serves a holiday meal called Family Feast which includes pate, turkey, roast beef and pudding.
The fast food giant ordered the Tracy Daly, the owner of Tan Hill Pub to remove the ‘Family Feast’ from her menu. KFC has to protect its trademark against those who seek to trade off its brand, not just the phrase.
Edge Games own every conceivable use of ‘EDGE’ in video game titles
Edge Games, founded by Tim Langdell, is a video game developer. ‘EDGE’ is the world where Tim Langdell lives in. They own every conceivable use of the word ‘edge’ in video game titles for no reason.
Edge Games have been involved in a number of trademark disputes over the ‘Edge’ trademark. If you use “Edge” in your title, no matter business is related or not, considered as violating Tim Langdell’s trademark.
Langdell has pissed off so many people that Electronic Arts is suing to overturn Langdell’s trademark. If you look into the history of Tim Langdell, he is associated with a magazine name ‘Edge Magazine’, a comics character name ‘Edge’, a movie name ‘The Edge’. My question is what Tim Langdell did with these projects.
Diamond Dallas sued Jay-Z over his use of a diamond cutter ‘Hand Gesture’
Diamond Dallas page, popularly known as DDP, is a semi- retired professional wrestler and fitness instructor. DDP is associated with a hand gesture, a diamond cutter symbol which is made by joining the thumbs and index fingers.
Diamond Dallas page spreads his fingers after the diamond if formed by other thumbs and pointers. The pro wrestler DDP has been using the hand gesture symbol for the last decade inside the ring as his trademark wrestling persona and also as a cover page of his book “Yoga for regular guys”.
Dallas page filed a trademark lawsuit against Jay-Z, a rapper who is accused to illegally adopted the trademarked diamond cutter hand gesture. Before also Page has filed a lawsuit for Hov’s use of diamond cutter hand gesture. That hand symbol has come to be the sign of Roc-a-fella records.
Is it possible that Jay-Z and Diamond Dallas Page would ever be confused or the hip-hop and wrestling crowds somehow intersect?
