Sunday, 1 June 2014

My project, soon to become company, has the same name as a simple online video game. The video game is old and makes no substantial money an...

Question

My project, soon to become company, has the same name as a simple online video game. The video game is old and makes no substantial money and my project is about sending files via the Internet.

Two completely different things, but I heard the band Chicago had to change their name because the Chicago Transit Authority sued them. What kind of headache can I expect from this game? It's not listed trademarked yet.

Also.. What's the process for trademarking? The company doesn't exist yet.



Answer

Can't say for sure without more information, but as a general proposition, trademarks are assigned by the Feds for exclusive use with respect to a category of goods or services, and the categories are only medium-broad. One example I frequently use is that one could trademark the name "Purple Passion" for a lipstick, and that probably wouldn't prevent someone else from using the same name for a paint color, or a Zinfandel.



No comments:

Post a Comment