Archive for the ‘IP Management’ Category

It is not the same…but it is

Thursday, January 5th, 2017

In a global marketplace, branding in a foreign language can lead to some curious situations. The current example is the TTAB decision cancelling the registration for the “Portón” line of brandy launched in 2011 in the US by a Peruvian firm Pisco (Portón in Spanish is a large entry door, typically for a grand ranch or residence).
The company objecting to this mark is the famous “Patrón” brand of tequila from México (Patrón in Spanish is the boss, or an employer, in an organization). While the two terms mean very different things to Spanish speakers – and one is a thing and the other a person – the TTAB was persuaded to agree with the tequila brand’s position that, for most non-spanish speakers in the US market, both terms can be likely to be confused as they do not appear to sufficiently distinguish the marks, particularly in a noisy bar setting.

Confusing Terms to non-Spanish speakers

PATRON vis-a-vis PORTON

The case seems clear enough, although confusing to us Spanish speakers as the terms do not have the same meaning…but as far as branding in the US is concerned, they do!

Hat tip: @BDonahueLaw360

Case: Pisco Porton LLC v Patron SPirits Int’l. AG (USPTO TTAB 92059527)

Current Issues in Valuing IP

Monday, March 14th, 2016

Current Issues

IPmetrics’ David Drews presenting on the topic of:

Current Issues in Valuing IP

During VALCON 2016: Emerging Valuation Issues in Bankruptcy and Beyond, March 15 2016 (Las Vegas, NV).

In the modern landscape of corporate bankruptcies, the basic aspects of the treatment of intellectual property often dictate how and where an IP-heavy debtor reorganizes. Understanding intricate and nuanced issues underlying IP assets drives value maximization and will be the main topic of discussion.