"I think I'll wait until my business is bigger and profitable until I register my trademark." Despite Twitter using the word TWEET since its first post in 2006, it never got around to registering its trademark until 2009, years later…
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Did you know that Administrative Professionals Day® is actually a registered US trademark? When you wish someone Happy Administrative Professionals Day® today, you may be infringing on the rights of the International Association of Administrative Professionals. Really?? Oddly enough, recall…
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Can you recognize these businesses from a single glance at their corporate logo? Click here for some trademark fun. See how many corporate logos you recognize! The strength of these trademarks comes partly from marketing, but also from their enforcement…
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A groundbreaking decision today by the Canadian Federal Court now allows the registration of sounds as trademarks, and paved the way for other non-traditional trademarks. In 1992 Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer Studios (MGM) applied to trademark the lion roar that occurs during their…
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Jeremy Lin, a recent young protege and rising star in the NBA, has gained Lin-stant fame for his amazing skills on the basketball court. The sudden and viral effects of his debut into the sport has coined the term "Lin-sanity".…
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An Ontario pastry chef quickly learned that trademarking her business was the sweetest thing she ever did. Here is the complete story. Stephanie Pick began operating a pastry store in Toronto in 1998. She then trademarked her business name, QUEEN…
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A recent media article outlines the absolute power of trademark registration in Canada (and a really good reason why you should get one!). See here for the story. Target Corp. (the US department store) bought the rights to enter into…
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The protection that registration lends to your business is important. Let's recap what benefits you receive, only through registration: 1. Exclusive right to use the trademark across Canada rather than certain areas where you carry on business 2. The additional…
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Molson CANADIAN. It's a pretty common name in Canadian beer. And initially, it wasn't able to be registered as a trade-mark! Why not? First and foremost, a trade-mark can not be purely descriptive of the wares which are being sold. …
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What makes a good trade-mark? If you were to sneeze, would you reach for a KLEENEX? Chances are that you may not actually be reaching for a KLEENEX but in fact just a regular tissue, perhaps from another brand, like…
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