"i Am" Is A Trademark

[interestrateripoff]

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/iam-suing-you--pharrell-williams-feels-the-wrath-of-william-in-row-over-copyright-of-the-phrase-i-am-8675483.html

Will.i.am, one of the judges on BBC talent show The Voice, is suing fellow US pop music star Pharrell Williams over his use of the phrase “I am” .

Mr Williams set up his own “i am OTHER” brand to promote talent online and said he was searching for a “diverse group of optimistic, bright minds”.

But Will.i.am, real name William James Adams, took exception and filed a lawsuit claiming that he owns the copyright to the phrase “I AM” and that Pharrell's logo is “confusingly similar” to his “i.am+” iPhone camera add-on, according to court documents.

The “registration of the mark.. is likely to dilute the I AM mark and the will.i.am mark”, the documents claim.

The English language soon to be all trademarked by the elites?

[zugzwang]

http://www.independe...am-8675483.html

The English language soon to be all trademarked by the elites?

Gerry Anderson's relatives should sue him over the get ups he had on for the Voice.

[Bloo Loo]

http://www.independe...am-8675483.html

The English language soon to be all trademarked by the elites?

Er....No

Once a trademark application has been filed the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) will examine the trademark, prior to accepting it for publication. They will scrutinise the trademark based on whether it is new and distinctive, not descriptive and is not a generic term within the relevant commercial field. When choosing a new trademark it is therefore extremely important to understand the factors that determine whether a trademark is registrable.

Bloo.I.Am

[SpectrumFX]

I thought his real name was Ben I am

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/arts-entertainment/will-i-am-to-appear-on-new-10-note-2012062932441

[wherebee]

I thought his real name was Ben I am

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/arts-entertainment/will-i-am-to-appear-on-new-10-note-2012062932441

Cross.I.am

[happy_renting]

l.i.am

[thecrashingisles]

Will.i.am, Will.i.am, it was really nothing.

[@contradevian]

Er....No

Once a trademark application has been filed the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) will examine the trademark, prior to accepting it for publication. They will scrutinise the trademark based on whether it is new and distinctive, not descriptive and is not a generic term within the relevant commercial field. When choosing a new trademark it is therefore extremely important to understand the factors that determine whether a trademark is registrable.

Bloo.I.Am

[happy_renting]

Er....No

Once a trademark application has been filed the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) will examine the trademark, prior to accepting it for publication. They will scrutinise the trademark based on whether it is new and distinctive, not descriptive and is not a generic term within the relevant commercial field. When choosing a new trademark it is therefore extremely important to understand the factors that determine whether a trademark is registrable.

Bloo.I.Am

The OP appears to have got it wrong, as no-one in the Independent article appears to be claiming that 'I am' is a trademark, registered or unregistered.

Will.i.am is claiming copyright of the phrase, not that it is a trademark. His claim of copyright is of course ridiculous and would be thrown out of any court. It is even part of his name, and that of everyone called William or Williams, as in Pharrell Williams.

Pharrell Williams is attempting to register a trademark, which is likely to fail if it is just the words, as they are not particularly distinctive, though a logo might have a better chance.

Will.i.am is claiming copyright, but the only distinctive thing is the addition of punctuation to "William", which is absent from the trade mark Pharrell is attempting to register. Will.i.am has no claim on the copyright of "William".

The only remaining path would be for Will.i.am to claim against Pharrell for 'passing off' by imitating Will.i.am's unregistered trademark. That too would fail, as Pharrell cannot be accused of infringing an unregistered trademark 'William", as it is just a common name (also, incidentally almost the same as his surname) and he does not copy the punctuation.

Conclusion: A lot of money spent on shyster lawyers, which may pay for itself as it is just a contrived publicity stunt.

[Guest TheBlueCat]

Surely they're all copying Dr Suess?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Eggs_and_Ham

[porca misèria]

You can't trademark a simple phrase like "I am".

But you can trademark a sufficiently distinctive presentation of such a simple phrase. What might constitute a sufficiently distinctive presentation is a question for the parasites.

Similarly you couldn't trademark a picture of a piece of fruit. But you can trademark something distinctive and stylised like:

[happy_renting]

You can't trademark a simple phrase like "I am".

But you can trademark a sufficiently distinctive presentation of such a simple phrase. What might constitute a sufficiently distinctive presentation is a question for the parasites.

Similarly you couldn't trademark a picture of a piece of fruit. But you can trademark something distinctive and stylised like:

Indeed. Which is why they have had a legal dispute with