Sometimes, the last word isn’t really the last word. Here are some updates for previous posts: %CUT%

If you don’t use your trademark, it could become a zombie. %CUT% Macy’s Department Stores has been absorbing local department stores and their trademarks for decades. Once Macy’s takes over, it rebrands the store. But, those old department store trademarks still exist in the minds of the consuming public. In other words, the dead trademarks became zombies. Seeing the marketing potential of zombie trademarks, Strategic Marks started selling T-shirts using them. Macy’s filed a trademark infringement suit against Strategic Marks and won. It helped that Macy’s hadn’t really abandoned most of the trademarks. It was using them in its “Heritage Collection”. In the end, the parties settled and Macy’s transferred some trademarks to Strategic Marks.

The Seventh Circuit is puzzled how anyone could confuse Land O’ Lakes dairy products with Land O’ Lakes fishing tackle. %CUT% It all started when Land O’ Lakes (the dairy guys) wanted Land O’ Lakes (the fishing tackle guy,) to license the name. The fishing tackle guy refused.  So the dairy guys opposed the fishing tackle guy’s trademark application. Then the fishing tackle guy filed suit. In the end, the Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court’s judgment dismissing all claims. Judge Posner stated: “Can one imagine Land O' Lakes advertising: ‘we sell the finest dairy products and the best fishing tackle?’ . . . So in this unusual case two firms sued each other though neither had been, is, or is likely to be harmed in the slightest by the other. The suit was rightly dismissed.”

Someone registered the trademarks associated with Yosemite National Park and it wasn’t the National Park Service. How could that happen? %CUT% Until recently, the National Park Service had a concessions contract with Delaware North Parks & Resorts Inc. to run Yosemite National Park attractions, including the Ahwahnee Hotel, the Wawona Hotel, Curry Village and Badger Pass. Delaware North lost the contract in an open bidding process. Delaware North filed suit claiming that the bidding process was unfair. Then Delaware North pointed out that one of its subsidiaries had registered the trademarks associated with Yosemite. Now Delaware North won’t let the National Park Service and the successful concessions contractor use the trademarks. The National Park Service has brought a proceeding before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board seeking cancellation of the registrations based upon “False Association”, “Abandonment” and “Dilution”.

In 1991, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the standard of creativity for copyright protection required a minimal level of creativity. Over the last year, numerous decisions explored how low that level of creativity can go. %CUT% The First Circuit Court of Appeals held that a chicken sandwich and its recipe are not copyrightable (Norberto-Colon Lorenzana et al. v. South American Restaurants, Corp.). The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that series of yoga poses is not copyrightable (Yoga College of India LP et al. v. Evolution Yoga LLC et al.). However, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Batmobile is copyrightable because it is considered a “character” (DC Comics v. Towle).