Trademark law WAS: For the record: 90% of Iridium now up...

Dr. Ernest N. Prabhakar (ernest@drernie.scruz.net)
Thu, 9 Apr 98 07:51:50 -0700


Gold and platinum would be difficult to trademark, since a lot of other
entities have already used it for product names (formal or common-law).
By the same token, though, they would be easy for you to use since their
trademark has been diluted. Iron is probably less so.

You forget that a large number of product names are common terms (e.g.,
"Cougar"). The point of a trademark is that you are claiming it for use
in a certain product space. With Motorola's claim, you wouldn't have
any trouble using it for, say, breakfast cereals, but you wouldn't be
ablet o market a Munchkin under that name...

Which reminds me: Rohit, Munchkin would make a great name for a
breakfast cereal. We really should trademark that space, too...

- ENP

You wrote:
> Rohit quotes:
> >Iridium is a registered trademark and service mark of Iridium LLC.
>
> That's odd, I could have sworn it was the name of a transition metal.
>
> Can I register "iron" please? How about "gold" and "platinum" too?
> I would of course license the use of these terms out to others for a
> not-too-unreasonable fee.
>
> Thanks,
> Rob.
>
>