Michael A. Kahn

Author and Trial Attorney

  • Home
  • Books
  • Contact
  • About
Michael A. Kahn

Author and Trial Attorney

BlogNews

From Covfefe to Aunt Jemima R.I.P.–Trademarks in the Era of Black Lives Matter

By Michael KahnPosted on August 7, 2020August 18, 20200 Comments1min read1994 views

Share

0

In my day job as an intellectual property lawyer I’ve been blogging occasionally about the strange new world of trademarks that began three years ago with the explosion of trademark registration applications for the 7-letter typo in one of Donald Trump’s late-night Tweet complaints about what he claimed was “fake news.”

Following that trademark silliness was this year’s explosion of registration applications for variations on the term COVID-19. Those applications now number more than 350 and even include one referring back to the Trump typo: COVID-19 TAKES DOWN COVFEFE (Serial No. 88849328).

But in recent days that trademark narrative has undergone a profound change. Specifically, many profitable but controversial brands–from the Washington Redskins (dating back eight decades) to Aunt Jemima (introduced in the 19th Century)–have been undergoing an overdue but inspiring evolution, largely in response to the social protests and cultural reckoning inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. This has been the commercial trademark equivalent of the removal of statues of Confederate generals and other formerly iconic historic figures.

You can find my blog post, along with links to the earlier ones, here.

Aunt JemimaCovfefeCOVID-19trademarksWashington Redskins
Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn is a trial lawyer by day and a writer by night. He is the award-winning author of 11 Rachel Gold novels and 3 standalone novels, including his most recent one, PLAYED!, and several short stories. His latest Rachel Gold novel, BAD TRUST, is the 11th in that series.
From Covfefe to Aunt Jemima R.I.P.–Trademarks in the Era of Black Lives Matter

previously

Benny and the Greatest Bowel Movement in Literature
From Covfefe to Aunt Jemima R.I.P.–Trademarks in the Era of Black Lives Matter

up next

Remarkable Graveyards and Sad Words of Wisdom

What do you think? Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

No Comments Yet.

Michael A. Kahn

Michael's Links

  • Mike's Lawyer Bio
  • Mike's Amazon Author Page
  • Now Available! Mike's Next Rachel Gold Mystery: BAD TRUST
  • Mike's last novel: PLAYED! — "Brisk, sprightly entertainment." – Kirkus Reviews
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Contact
  • Book Table
Copyrights © 2018 BUZZBLOGPRO. All Rights Reserved.