Watch Out for Trademarks and Copyrights

By John Malmo

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkno/local-wkno-922689.mp3

Watch Out for Trademarks and Copyrights, by John Malmo

Memphis, TN – Lady in Salt Lake City called her bakery "The Dough Lady," and General Mills, owner of "The Doughboy" tradename made her change it. A high school kid introduced "South Butt" clothing brand to mock other students in their "North Face" jackets and vests, and the owner of North Face came after him. He had even turned the North Face logo upside down to look like a fanny. And a guy in Florida built "Yard Doctor" into a million dollar business before Lawn Doctor came after him.

What many entrepreneurs don't realize is that the courts may punish trademark owners later who have not made sincere efforts to protect their registered marks and names. These people aren't anti-entrepreneurism; they're protective business men and women who can lose brands, icons, slogans worth billions if they cannot prove that they have been diligent in their protection thereof.

The internet makes it easy for entrepreneurs to avoid such problems. You can conduct your own trademark search free in a matter of minutes and register a new name and mark for a few hundred bucks.

Monkeying around with someone else's well-known name, mark, or icon is just stupid.

John Malmo is a Memphis marketing consultant with more than fifty years experience. He is former chairman of Archer Malmo Advertising and specializes today in helping small businesses grow. To reach Mr. Malmo - or to buy a copy of his book When on the Mountain There is no Tiger, Monkey Is King- go to http://www.johnmalmo.com.