Words Want to Be Free
According to trademark law, you can’t get trademark protection for a generic terma word or phrase in common use. These folks have tried to apply this principle in some interesting ways.
Philip’s Organization
Case D2000-1638:
Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV vs. Ramazan Goktas
..And Good Riddance, Tea
Case D2000-1823:
Tata Tea Ltd vs. Gem Lifts Ltd
Moe Iceberg, Moe Ginsburg
Case D2001-0021:
Moe Ginsburg, Inc. vs. Medisys
Have a Coal Distillate and a Smile
Case D2001-0327:
The Coca-Cola Company vs. Tantamount Property Trust
We’re In The Attention Business!
Case D2001-0541:
AT & T Corp. vs. Caimmi Rappresentanze & Marketing Italia
Give Me a Long Enough Indian-Ethnicity Lever...
Case D2001-0765:
Hindustan Lever Ltd vs. Mr. Vikram Chachra
All the Girls in the World
Case D2002-0222:
International Bank For Reconstruction and Development d/b/a The World Bank vs. Yoo Jin Sohn
Pepsi of the Ancients
Case D2002-0562:
PepsiCo, Inc. vs. "null", aka Alexander Zhavoronkov