Domain and Trademark Blog

A New York designer is attempting to trademark Blue Ivy, the name of Jay-Z and Beyonce’s newborn daughter.
Joseph Mbeh filed an application for Blue Ivy Carter NYC with the US Patent and Trademark Office on January 11, 2012.
This was just four days after former Destiny’s Child singer Beyonce gave birth to her first …

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICAAN) must take new steps to protect trademarks and other intellectual property, it has been claimed.
According to the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), the organization must react quickly to problems it sees developing as applications come in for new generic top level …

Binh Thuan dragon fruit has received a Certificate of Trademark from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, it has been reported.
Bui Dang Hung, chairman of the Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit Association, announced that his organization’s application has been successful.
The certified trademark includes the words ‘Binh Thua’ and ‘Dragon fruit’, and also the …

China accounted for three-fifths of the growth in global trademark filings during 2010, a new report has indicated.
The World Intellectual Property Organization found that a quarter of a million more applications were made in China during 2010 compared to the previous year.
This figure emphasises the rapid rate of progress – and indeed GDP …

Global intellectual property (IP) filings rebounded strongly in 2010 after a considerable decline in 2009, it has been reported.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) announced that the recovery in IP filings was stronger than the overall economic recovery, with trademark filings growing by 11.8 per cent and patent filings by 7.2 per cent.
In …

Museums, educational institutions and respected groups have been among those to snap up .xxx domain names in the last week, it has been reported.
The controversial top level domain – geared towards the adult industry – came into being earlier in December, as ICM Registry launched the public sales process.
First of all, …

Clothing and accessories retailer The Gap has filed a cybersquatting lawsuit against the owners of thegap.com.
The firm has held a trademark for ‘The Gap’ since 1972, however it only registered domain names for gap.com, gapkids.com, and babygap.com during the internet boom.
India-based The Gap Entertainment was quicker out the blocks to register thegap.com, …

An insurance firm has lost a lengthy trademark battle to associate the word ‘my’ with a number of industry terms.
According to Business Day, New Zealand-registered AMI Insurance wished to obtain a trademark for ‘my insurance’, ‘my home insurance’, ‘my house insurance’ and several other similar phrases.
The Intellectual Property Office originally approved the application …

The American Petroleum Institute (API) has accused two companies of selling engine oils bearing its trademark without authorization.
According to NACS Online, the organization has filed a federal lawsuit against two Michigan firms – Energy Resources LLC and Babylon Trading & Development.
The companies are accused of manufacturing and distributing engine oils bearing …

Organizations have the option of registering various different types of trademarks, according to their individual requirements.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the possibilities for registrants are “almost limitless”.
Trademarks may be one or a combination of words, letters, and numerals, the organization explained.
“They may consist of drawings, symbols, three-dimensional signs such …