- You really can own anything, from words to colors.
If you make an invention or a successful product, you have to protect it from fraudsters and rip-offs. It only makes sense.
What doesn’t make sense is the bizarre extent to which people try to trademark things. And stuff gets even weirder when they actually succeed.
Case in point, Ohio State University trademarked the word “the” earlier this year. But they’re not the only strange trademark holder by any means.
Here are some of the weirdest trademarks out there — not in any particular order.
1) The Word ‘Face’
Our first example follows Ohio State University in trademarking common words. Just try to guess who owns the trademark to the word “face.”
Who else? Of course it’s Facebook.
Fortunately, the thing about trademarking common words is that the context in which the trademarks apply is usually pretty limited. And that’s the story here as well — Facebook’s trademark only applies in the realm of social media.
So, you don’t have to worry about using the word “face” in everyday speech. Just don’t try to name your new social media site, say… Face2Face or something.
That’d be an awful name anyway.
2) ‘Superhero’
Ever wondered why some obvious superhero media — like movies or comics — never actually use the word “superhero?” That’s because they legally can’t.
The term “superhero” is a split trademark co-owned by both Marvel and DC. But there’s some ambiguity about the trademark.
The trademark registration by Marvel and DC actually lists the trademarked term as “super hero,” with a space in the middle. Additionally, some lawyers argue that the word is just too generic to trademark.
But considering Marvel’s and DC’s history of suing small publishers, we wouldn’t push our luck.
3) The Zippo Noise
Imagine an old-timey, noir detective movie. Mulling over a difficult case, the detective lights a cigarette.
Did you hear that sound in your head? The “ding,” followed by a “chuck?”
That’s the sound of a Zippo lighter, and it’s trademarked. The company making the lighters argues that the noise is so distinctive and iconic that it’s an integral part of their product.
In 2018, U.S. patent authorities agreed and gave Zippo its trademark. Wonder how all the cheap Zippo knockoff manufacturers felt about that.
4) Post-It Note Yellow
There’s a color that immediately catches your attention. It’s a bright screaming yellow and you dread to notice it by your desk.
That’s Post-It notes for you. And that specific yellow, with a hex code FFFF99, may not be used anywhere else.
At least when it comes to office supplies. Think about it — have you ever seen any other pens, notes, or anything else in that exact color?
Well, if you have, they were violating a trademark. The more you know!
5) Ping-Pong
Have you ever wondered what the difference between ping-pong and table tennis is? Trademark, and that’s it.
They’re the exact same game, played with the same equipment and same rules. But the name Ping-Pong is the trademark of the games company Parker Brothers.
That’s not the only trademarked name for table tennis, though. Other such terms include Whiff Waff, Pom-Pom, and Pim-Pam.
What’s wrong with just calling it table tennis?
6) Slide to Unlock
You may think you remember unlocking a phone other than iPhone by sliding across the screen. That may not be a completely false memory.
For a brief moment, Samsung’s phones did have a slide-to-unlock feature. But Apple firmly put an end to that practice in 2014 when it sued Samsung and won $119.6 million.
So, Samsung switched to the methods we know today, including a different swipe gesture. Ironically, Apple has since pretty much abandoned the original swipe-to-unlock due to growing phone screen sizes and better motion sensors.
7) The Eiffel Tower at Night
Ah, the Eiffel Tower at night. The light show on the tower is such a romantic sight to see.
And it’s trademarked.
The lights displayed on the tower after sunset are considered an independent work of art. That work is owned by the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, and they guard their intellectual property jealously.
You’re free to take a picture of the famous tower at night, of course. Just don’t try to sell that picture without a license.
You just might get a strongly-worded letter from some irate Frenchmen.
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