trademark
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TikTok might be working on a music service
TikTok has helped users discover both current and past musical artists, and now the company might be starting its own music streaming service.
Recent 'realityOS' trademarks hint at Apple moving closer to AR/VR headset announcement
A little more than a week before the start of WWDC 2022, realityOS has resurfaced in trademark filings seemingly linked to Apple.
Dbrand says its latest PS5 faceplates will survive Sony’s legal wrath
Accessory maker Dbrand is back with a new set of PlayStation 5 faceplates, and this time it says it won't get into legal trouble.
Dbrand stops selling PS5 faceplates after Sony issues legal threats
Dbrand has stopped selling its PlayStation 5 faceplates after Sony issued a cease and desist warning.
Epic Games sues AR glasses maker Nreal over its name
It infringes on trademarks for Unreal, according to Epic.
Supreme Court rules generic website names can be trademarked
Justices determined in an 8-1 ruling that Booking.com is eligible for a trademark.
Google’s .new shortcut now works with sites like Spotify and Microsoft
Last year, Google introduced .new shortcuts that made it easier to create a new Google Doc, Sheet, Slide, Site or Form -- simply enter the file type you wish to create into your browser and tack .new onto the end. Last week, Google brought the feature to Calendar, and now it's expanding it to other sites like Spotify. Soon, any company or organization will be able to register a .new domain to help their users start tasks faster.
Apple wants to trademark 'Slofie'
You might have rolled your eyes when Apple mentioned that the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro could do "slofies," but the company is taking things slightly more seriously. Apple has applied to the USPTO for a trademark on the term "Slofie" in terms of "downloadable computer software for use in capturing and recording video." Don't worry, it's not trying to own the cultural landscape -- rather, this is largely to prevent app developers and phone makers from 'borrowing' the term for their own features.
Swatch accuses Samsung of copying its watch faces
Just days after Samsung unveiled its latest Galaxy Watch, the tech titan is in hot water over its existing range of smartwatches. Swatch Group -- the watchmaker behind the Tissot, Omega, Rado and Swatch brands -- has filed a a complaint against Samsung Electronics and its American arm over trademark infringements. The Swiss company claims the downloadable watch faces for Gear Sport, Gear S3 Classic and Frontier smartwatches "bear identical or virtually identical marks" to its own trademarks.
The real Pinkertons aren't happy with 'Red Dead Redemption 2'
The Pinkertons loom large as virtual adversaries in Red Dead Redemption 2, but now they're involved in a very real legal tussle over the game. Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations has sent Rockstar Games a cease and desist notice claiming that RDR2 used the company's trademarks, including the Pinkerton's National Detective Agency badge, without permission. It also alleges that the game will "tarnish the reputation" of the trademarks by portraying the 19th century detectives as foes, according to court documents obtained by The Blast.
'Choose Your Own Adventure' publisher sues Netflix over 'Bandersnatch'
Netflix's choose-your-own-adventure style film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is the subject of a new lawsuit, brought against the streaming giant by Chooseco LLC. The company is known for publishing the "Choose Your Own Adventure" book series popular in the 1980s and 90s, and it's claiming Netflix infringed upon its trademarks, Variety reports. Netflix tried to obtain a license for Chooseco's trademark in the past, according to Chooseco, but never reached a deal with the publisher.
Bragi asks court to block sales of OnePlus 'Dash' products
Bragi isn't willing to wait for the court to resolve its dispute over OnePlus' use of the word "Dash." The audio device maker has filed for a preliminary injunction that would block OnePlus from using the Dash name in association with its products while the trademark dispute unfolded. While OnePlus had signaled that it was "phasing out" use of the Dash Charge name for its fast power technology in favor of Warp Charge, it allegedly refused to say whether or not the upcoming OnePlus 6T would adopt the new naming scheme. Bragi had to make this move to "ensure" the 6T launch didn't violate its trademark, according to the filing.
Bragi sues OnePlus in Europe for using the word 'Dash'
Do you see much of a connection between smart earbuds and fast smartphone charging? No? Bragi would beg to differ. The audio company has sued OnePlus in the European Union for allegedly infringing on its trademark for the Dash. According to Bragi, OnePlus is purposefully sowing confusion with the Dash Charge feature in its phones, which sounds similar to the Dash Charger case that tops up Bragi's wireless earbuds.
Twitter faces trademark infringement lawsuit from podcast network
TWiT, aka This Week in Tech, is suing Twitter. The well-known tech netcast says Twitter has broken a number of written and oral agreements and is infringing on its trademark. The two companies started up around the same time in the mid-2000s, with Twitter co-founder Evan Williams telling TWiT's Leo Laporte that Twitter was simply a "text-based microblogging service". The two informally agreed that, despite the similarities in their names, their platforms were fundamentally different and were happy to co-exist on the condition, the lawsuit alleges, of "each company continuing its own unique distribution platform." As far as TWiT is concerned, that's no longer the case.
Kodi fights trademark trolls trying to charge for its media app
Kodi doesn't just have to worry about add-ons and devices that give it a reputation as a piracy haven. The media center app developer has revealed that it's battling "trademark trolls" who've registered the Kodi name as their own and are using that mark to profit from software that's supposed to be free to distribute. The culprits may charge you to host Kodi on a website, for example, or make you buy their Kodi boxes instead of others. And this isn't a theoretical worry, either.
Samsung hints that another 360-degree camera is in the works
The Gear 360 camera only reached shelves a few months ago, but that might not stop Samsung from readying a quick follow-up. The tech giant has quietly applied for a trademark on "360 Round," hinting at the possibility of another VR camera in the works. There aren't any obvious clues about the hardware's features, but its familiar-sounding RM-R260 model number (the 360 is the RM-R210) suggests that it's very much a sibling to the Gear 360. The "Round" badging also hints it might be a more compact, strictly spherical device versus the Gear 360's eyestalk shape, but it's hard to say for sure.
Microsoft is waging a quiet war against elite Russian hackers
Microsoft has proven itself to be an unlikely vigilante in the ongoing international cyberespionage story. The company started out suing the hacking group Fancy Bear for using domain names that violated Microsoft's trademarks, and in doing so unearthed an extensive network of command-and-control servers. Via domains such as 'livemicrosoft.net' or 'rsshotmail.com', hackers are able to communicate with malware installed on targeted computers. But once the domains are back under Microsoft's control they're redirected back from Russian servers, giving the company a bird's-eye view of Fancy Bear's server network. Since August, Microsoft has taken over 70 different command-and-control points from Fancy Bear using this lawsuit.
Spigen has a trademark beef with Andy Rubin's Essential Products
We're still about a month away from the first Essential Phone hitting the market, but there may be a problem. According to documents provided to Android Police, well-known mobile accessory maker Spigen has trademarked the Essential name for certain accessories it builds (battery packs, chargers and Bluetooth headphones), and is worried that Andy Rubin's new outfit could cause confusion. Spigen claims the new company has had its trademark attempt rejected twice, and because Essential Products is moving forward anyway, Spigen sent a cease-and-desist letter. The response from a spokesperson? "Essential believes they are without merit and will respond appropriately." Essential is hardly a unique designation, but the close quarters of the products are interesting, even if the newcomer seems unbothered.
North Korea reinvents the 'iPad'
North Korea has a state-controlled economy, and it produces devices such as tablets and computers for its citizens who can afford them. This isn't really news. But Myohyang IT, a state-owned North Korean tech company, just announced a new tablet that will raise some eyebrows: It's called . . . the iPad. That's right. While North Korea hasn't exactly been respectful of intellectual property and trademarks in the past, this blatant violation sets a new bar for the military dictatorship. It's pretty safe to say that Apple is likely not happy about this development.
PayPal sues Pandora over confusingly similar logos
Back in October, Pandora donned a new look and launched a new logo that looked very familiar to anyone who's ever used PayPal before. Now the online payment system is taking Pandora to court, accusing it of ripping off its iconic logo to ride on its popularity. It had some savage words for the music streaming service in the lawsuit it filed, telling the court that Pandora decided on a logo design similar to its own to overcome "serious commercial challenges that threaten its very survival." After all, the filing reads, "Pandora has no obvious path to profitability" as a streaming website known for free service, and it also faces "overwhelming competition from Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music."
