Trademark Law
Trademark Protection for the Entrepreneur
A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, or design, or a combination thereof, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others. A service mark is basically the same thing, except it distinguishes the services provided by one party rather than physical goods. Trademarks protect what we typically [...]
Griswold Law Trademark Infringement Case Featured in San Diego Daily Transcript & Bloomberg News
The below article was featured September 7, 2010 online at the San Diego Daily Transcript, originating from Bloomberg News. Port Brewing sues Moylan’s Brewing for trademark infringement By Bloomberg News Tuesday, September 7, 2010 Port Brewing LLC, a San Marcos-based brewery, sued a Northern California brewhouse for trademark infringement. Port Brewing grew out of a [...]
Trademark Law & Branding Strategy: The Perils of Using a Geographic Term in a Product Name
Trademark laws prevent the use of geographic terms without secondary meaning as trademarks. A term that primarily describes the place a product originates is not entitled to trademark protection because it is geographically descriptive. If a term uses a geographic description and the public is likely to think that it is meant to indicate that [...]