Seattle Trademark Lawyer

There’s an election today here in Buenos Aires. To an American, this is interesting for several reasons. First, the election is held on a Sunday, so everyone can vote. Second, voting is mandatory. Third, you can’t buy booze today, in order to promote clear decision-making. Granted, I was a poly-sci major in college, but I find these election-day differences fascinating.

There are some differences on the trademark front as well. I came across an ad for Rodolfo D’Onofrio, a candidate who hales from River Plate, a well-to-do part of Buenos Aires. River Plate is also home of Club Atlético River Plate, a beloved local soccer team. What’s strange is he adopts the red-sash design used by the soccer team (“A president for River”). Even to a foreigner like me, his reference to the team is obvious. Now, it’s possible the red-sash design refers to the neighborhood, which the soccer team has borrowed, but the team is so well-loved in parts here that I have a hard time believing Sr. D’Onofrio isn’t seeking to enshroud himself in the team’s goodwill.

Can you imagine a political candidate in the States borrowing Yankee pinstripes, colors, and old-timey lettering in an ad that says he’s New York’s candidate?

Sr. D’Onofrio’s ad (above left), Club Atlético River Plate’s logo (above right), and the outside of River Plate’s stadium before a match (above center).

(Photo by STL.)

STL’s been in Buenos Aires.

For this blog, that can only mean one thing: infringement safari. When traveling, it’s great fun to find examples of blatant trademark infringement, counterfeiting, descriptive marks, and the like. Check out the last couple safaris here and here.

I’ve got to say, BA was more of a challenge than I thought. Not the language — I knew its Italian-sounding dialect would be a little tough. But the infringement. Counterfeit-looking DVDs are pretty ubiquitous on the street. But infringement in brick-and-mortar stores appears to be relatively rare. The most outlandish example I found was this fake “Lululemon” shop:

Wonder if their yoga pants are sheer.

Second prize goes to the kindergarten that helped itself to the “Hello Kitty” name. Being a proud uncle of two nieces, I know the power of the Hello Kitty brand. What girl wouldn’t want to go to school here?

Finally, I couldn’t pass up this descriptive trademark. Like girls and Hello Kitty, what homeowner wanting to sell wouldn’t want to hire the best real estate agent? Literally. As in “Best Seller Brokers”?

(Photos by STL)

Never fear! The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office remains open during the federal government’s (ridiculous) shutdown.

Why?

It’s a cash cow. The filing fees — a/k/a taxes — gain the feds a lot more than it costs them.

So, it’s business as usual at the PTO. They’re accepting and processing trademark filings as usual. They say they’re good for the next four weeks, but if the shutdown lasts longer than that, I would be shocked if they closed their doors with the rest of Washington. They’re a profit center!

Official PTO word here.