TrademarkEsq

Friday, May 30, 2014

INTA HONG KONG 2014, aka #INTA2014

The annual meeting of the International Trademark Association (INTA) was held earlier this month in Hong Kong from May 11 - 14, 2014. The undersigned attended this great annual meeting and sat in on six (6) seminars on a wide range of topics concerning trademarks, branding and the internet.

Our flight left Los Angeles the morning of May 8th, with one stop in San Francisco to change planes and arrived in Hong Kong late in the evening of Friday, May 9th, after crossing the international date line and accounting for the 15 hour time differential.

San Francisco Intl. Airport - the walk to the next gate/terminal...

Our arrival to Hong Kong Intl. Airport

Some very heavy rain, thunder and lightning was affecting the inbound flights into HK on the evening of Friday, May 9th, so our flight out of San Francisco stopped in Taipei, Taiwan for fuel. It was only about an hour and a half to HK after that. The late arrival into HK made taking a taxi to our hotel a favorable option, though we did not anticipate the race car driving skills of our driver in near typhoon conditions. It was a wild ride to say the least and quite a welcome to Hong Kong.

*** Video Alert ! ***

"Welcome To Hong Kong: The Video"

http://youtu.be/1KGlia5sxlQ

Our first peek of some shops in WanChai in Hong Kong during the rainstorm on our way to our hotel...

The first full day was devoted to reconnoitering our hotel and the route to the convention center where the annual meeting was to start the next day.

Our first morning cup of coffee, a cappuccino, at a local McDonald's...

The Hong Kong Jockey Club's horse racing track


The steep topography of Hong Kong

Causeway Bay skyline...

WanChair street scene...

A view of Hong Kong from Kennedy Road...

Sunday morning, May 11th, bright and early, we joined up with some 20 - 30 other lawyers from around the world, for a hike of the famed Dragon's Back trail on the south coast of HK, an event hosted by Paul Tackaberry of the Toronto law firm, Ridout & Maybee. It was a fun and challenging hike with spectacular views that culminated with lunch and a peek at the ocean at Shek-O Beach.

Pre-Hike huddle

Our fearless Hike Leader, Paul Tackaberry

Two Kiwi Trademark Lawyers

Big Wave Bay Beach, at center of frame

*** Video Alert ! ***

The Dragon's Back Trail

http://youtu.be/2RROJtEvdjQ

Shek-O Beach, at center of frame

At the trail's end we hopped on a bus that arrived almost simultaneously and which took us the rest of the way and deposited us at Shek-O Beach...

Shek-O Beach

and then we had lunch at a nearby restaurant serving traditional Chinese dishes...

after lunch we caught a bus and then took the subway back to downtown Hong Kong...

Sunday evening was the opening reception for the INTA annual meeting, held in the Grand Ballroom of the Hong Kong Convention Centre which overlooks HK harbor.

Monday morning, May 12th, we attended the opening ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention Centre which featured several speakers, followed by the day's educational programming where we attended two seminars, as well as two seminars on Tuesday and two seminars on Wednesday.

The conference hand bag that did not include a shoulder strap (x-ref: PATRIX IP HELPWARE FAIL)...

and just across the street from the Convention Centre is a large Hong Kong Fire Station which made for a great photo op below...

The Grand Finale was held at Hong Kong Disneyland and a great many people lined up for the first buses at the Convention Centre.

waiting to get into Grizzly Gulch for the catered dinner...

and later we took the subway back to Hong Kong rather than wait for the return bus later that evening...

a real Mickey Mouse subway car...

The day after the annual meeting concluded we went on a foodie tour (Kong Kong Foodie Tours) of Central Hong Kong with some INTA colleagues and it was exceptional.

On Friday, May 16th, we took a trip to the south coast of HK to Repulse Bay beach where we got to see quite a few colorful and historical statues of Chinese culture, particularly Gods devoted to the ocean. It was quite a treat.

All in all, it was a great trip, both from a business and personal perspective. Dinner with a client in Causeway Bay, the Rodeo Drive section of downtown HK, one evening. Meetings with trademark colleagues and educational conferences. Plus some sightseeing. While it's sometimes true that travel can be exhausting, this trip was an energy booster both professionally and personally.

Respectfully submitted,

William E. Maguire
LAW OFFICES OF WILLIAM E. MAGUIRE
Santa Monica, California

www.TrademarkEsq.com

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Monday, April 28, 2014

Shelby Cobra Smack Down!

Surf City USA (aka, Huntington Beach, Calif).
Saturday, April 26, 2014

It was our good fortune to come across this spectacular event on Main St. at PCH this past Saturday morning when we arrived for a separate event. Just Amazing!

*** Video Alert ! ***

Surf Music & Shelby Cobras On Main Street: The Video

http://youtu.be/p-fvR3258Ok

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Continuing Legal Education segment:

Trademarks Discussed above include:

1. Surf City USA

Below is the USPTO "TESS" record of just one of numerous trademarks and servicemarks that have been registered by the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau.

Word Mark	SURF CITY USA
Goods and Services	IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: organizing sporting events and exhibitions, namely, surfing competitions, fishing tournaments, marathons, live musical performances, and theater performances. FIRST USE: 20070320. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 20070320
Standard Characters Claimed
Mark Drawing Code	(4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
	LETTER-3-OR-MORE USA Combination of three or more letters as part of the mark
Serial Number	77356498
Filing Date	December 20, 2007
Current Basis	1A
Original Filing Basis	1A
Published for Opposition	November 25, 2008
Registration Number	3571430
Registration Date	February 10, 2009
Owner	(REGISTRANT) Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau CORPORATION CALIFORNIA 301 Main Street, Suite 208 Huntington Beach CALIFORNIA 926485171
Prior Registrations	3140635;3161067;3161068;AND OTHERS
Type of Mark	SERVICE MARK
Register	PRINCIPAL-2(F)
Live/Dead Indicator	LIVE

2. Shelby Cobra

Word Mark	SHELBY
Goods and Services	IC 012. US 019. G & S: AUTOMOBILES. FIRST USE: 19620202. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19620202
Mark Drawing Code	(1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number	73731212
Filing Date	May 27, 1988
Current Basis	1A
Original Filing Basis	1A
Published for Opposition	February 14, 1989
Registration Number	1538090
International Registration Number	0905083
Registration Date	May 9, 1989
Owner	(REGISTRANT) SHELBY, CARROLL H. INDIVIDUAL UNITED STATES ONE SHELBY WAY MCKINNEY TEXAS 75069(LAST LISTED OWNER) CARROLL HALL SHELBY TRUST TRUST NOT PROVIDED 11150 WEST OLYMPIC BLVD SUITE 1050 LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA 900641817
Assignment Recorded	ASSIGNMENT RECORDED

Prior Registrations	0864154;0864520
Type of Mark	TRADEMARK
Register	PRINCIPAL-2(F)
Affidavit Text	SECT 15. SECT 8 (6-YR). SECTION 8(10-YR) 20091127.
Renewal	1ST RENEWAL 20091127
Live/Dead Indicator	LIVE

note: Additionally, the Trust owns two other U.S. Federal Trademark Registrations for automobiles for "SHELBY COBRA S/C" and "SHELBY SERIES 2." --- If you have any other questions about trademarks, we invite you to visit our website at: www.TrademarkEsq.com
Respectfully submitted,

William E. Maguire
LAW OFFICES OF WILLIAM E. MAGUIRE
Santa Monica, CA

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Thursday, April 17, 2014

Captain America Merch!

With the recent release of the Captain America feature film sequel ("Captain America: The Winter Soldier"), which according to media reports, has already made well over $400 Million Dollars in box office receipts, it is very likely that the ancillary revenue stream of Captain America merchandise is also going to bring in millions of more dollars.

This morning at Aahs gift shop on Wilshire in West Los Angeles we observed an entire aisle dedicated to Captain America merchandise (see photo above).

All these commercial efforts to exploit this comic book character and feature film star is supported by a very broad trademark registration effort. A cursory review of the USPTO's "TESS" database reveals there to be multiple U.S. trademark registrations and pending applications for CAPTAIN AMERICA for an assortment of goods and services. These include, but are not limited to, action figures, toys, games, bedding, towels, backpacks, glassware, cups, clothing, video games and, of course, comic books. There is, indeed, a comic book trademark registration dating back to 1968 for CAPTAIN AMERICA.

One recent registration in International Class #28 for CAPTAIN AMERICA owned by Marvel Characters, Inc., includes the following goods:

Balls for games; Balls for sports; Battery operated action toys; Bobble head dolls; Card games; Christmas tree ornaments; Collectable toy figures; Construction toys; Dice; Dominoes; Flying discs; Jigsaw puzzles; Jump ropes; Paddle ball games; Pet toys; Playsets for make-believe play battle or adventure activities; Plush toys; Radio controlled toy vehicles; Soft sculpture toys; Target games; Toy action figures and accessories therefor; Toy construction sets; Toy masks; Toy model hobbycraft kits; Toy vehicles; Toy weapons.

One service mark registration in Intl. Class #41 includes:

Entertainment services in the nature of live performance non-sports exhibitions of costumed characters for parties, conventions, and educational purposes and special events.

The strategy for protecting a comic book character/film franchise is not a secret. The play book, as it were, is tried and true. Our website features several articles which discuss trademark protection in connection with entertainment properties, including:

• Super Heroes Need Protection Too!

     http://trademarkesq.com/pages/article2.php

• The Men In Black: From Comic Book To Feature Film

     http://trademarkesq.com/pages/article4.php

• A Day In The Life Of BAYWATCH®

   http://trademarkesq.com/pages/article3.php

Earlier this week while returning from lunch we captured this photo below of two people on a motorcycle with the young lady on the back wearing a Captain America motorcycle helmet emblazoned with his famous 5 pointed star shield design...

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Respectfully submitted,

William E. Maguire
LAW OFFICES OF WILLIAM E. MAGUIRE
Santa Monica, California
www.TrademarkEsq.com

comment/note: CAPTAIN AMERICA® is a trademark of Marvel Characters, Inc. and is used here under fair use principles for the academic purpose of discussing trademark registration practices.

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Tuesday, April 01, 2014

Blowin' In The Wind...

Between storm fronts, Santa Monica is feeling a beautiful, cool and strong on shore wind today... Have a look at some of the photos we captured after lunch and earlier this afternoon... which reveal blue skies, high clouds moving along with the wind quickly... real high energy weather.