Corporations spend big bucks registering present, past and future trade names and more bucks suing individuals, organizations and businesses for allegedly using those trade names.
Ralph Lauren successfully sued the U.S. Polo Assn. for using the word Polo for its magazine.
Referee Magazine owns the word referee as a trademark, preventing any other publication or website from using referee alone or with other words in its title--according to a federal judge in Wisconsin.
Not only that, but Referee Magazine also successfully blocked the use of officiating in titles for other publications and websites.
And what journalist hasn't received a form letter from some attorney warning about not capitalizing trade names such as ping pong, poloroid, kleenex?
It's time to call foul on ownership of words in English or any other language. (1 APRIL 2001)
