Alan Johnson Information

Featured campaign: Morgans Rum To Life, Love & Loot The current campaign for Captain Morgans Rum To Life, Love & Loot demonstrates the proper use of a TM symbol by a trademark rights claimant. Do the following: 1) the next time you see Diagos commercial, watch for the TM notice placed to the upper right of its slogan, To Life, Love & Loot™. 2) Click here to view Diagios trademark applicationfiled February 4, 2011. (PDF, 160 KB) Diagios concern back in February: a broadcast television commercial and print campaign takes four months (or less) from conception to airing on TV/cable/etc., while a trademark application takes eight months or more to process. Assuming a knock-out search revealed no obvious trademark conflicts, should Diagio wait for an official registration before airing the campaign using their catchy slogan? No! Diago announced its claim of rights with a TM bug, properly placed in a trademark signifying fashion to the upper right of the slogan. This is the proper use of a TM bug. Youll note Diagos filing basis in its application is 1B this means they filed on an intent-to-use basis. Clearly they are now using the mark in commerce, so pending the resolution of any conflicts not publicly disclosed, the application will be converted to a USE-based application soon. I hope youve enjoyed this little bit of trademark law fun, intended for educational purposes only; always consult your own attorney for actual legal advice. A high-impact, focused training on the music business. Twenty hours of retina damaging reading and research, seasoned and tenderized into a palatable 6-hour live workshop program. Request an outline in PDF form via alan@alanjohnsonlaw.com If youre an aspiring singer, songwriter, band, rapper, manager or producer, The Whole Music Business(tm) workshop may be right for you. Six hours of intensive business training. The best explanations I give to clients about how the whole industry works. Youll learn about income streams and strategies for musicians, songwriters and producers; how ...