Charlie Sheen's Trademark Applications

Can Charlie Sheen trademark the phrase “Duh”? He’d like to, apparently. Sheen, or “Hyro Gliff Corporation” as he is sometimes known these days, is making a good deal of money with his wild public antics, and it looks like he’s come up with a way to make just a little bit more. He recently filed trademark applications with the USPTO for 22 of the different phrases he’s been riffing on lately. He wants to trademark the name of his sold-out tour, “Violent Torpedo of Truth," (USPTO Appl. No. 85272939) and as well as other gems such as: Tiger Blood (USPTO Appl. No. 85271454), Rock Star from Mars, Sober Valley Lodge, Sheen’s Goddesses, and Duh. The majority of these applications include a laundry list of goods and services ranging from cell phones to energy drinks and more. So there’s a good chance you may start seeing “Sober Valley Lodge” T-Shirts in the not-too-distant future.

CNBC's Crime Inc: Counterfeit Goods

An excellent episode discussing the world of counterfeit goods will show on CNBC's Crime Inc., on Wednesday, July 14 at 9p ET/PT. I will definitely watch. Here is the description below:

Sneak Peek: http://bit.ly/9iR23d

Fake handbags, watches, and perfumes are a way of the past. The largest underground industry in the world, Counterfeit Goods bring in hundreds of billions, while sapping the economy, putting lives in jeopardy, and funding organized crime in the process.

CNBC presents "Crime Inc.: Counterfeit Goods," a CNBC Original reported by CNBC's Carl Quintanilla takes viewers inside where the goods are produced and confiscated in a world of high-risk and high-reward.

The one-hour special brings you on raids with the LAPD anti-counterfeiting unit, inspections at ports, and back-room factories where counterfeits are produced. Meet a couple who was paralyzed by counterfeit Botox, a company whose whole brand was copied, and the story of a defense contractor who counterfeit defense parts that found their way into weapons depots in Iraq.

At around 7% of all global trade, Counterfeit Goods are a big business with low overhead. It makes too much money to go away any time soon.

Guitar Hero Patent Infringement Lawsuit

Now in its fifth year, the wildly successful and lucrative Guitar Hero is under attack. Its patent claims are being challenged by Patent Compliance Group, Inc. The group asserts that Activision (Guitar Hero’s distributer) marked its games with “patented” or “patent pending” status, when in fact, they were not. According to PCG, the scope of Activision’s patents doesn’t cover the actual products.

Furthermore, PCG’s complaint states that Activision “intended to deceive the public by marking (or causing to be marked the out of scope [Guitar Hero] products with the [Guitar Hero] patent.”

If the group is successful, it could walk away with close to a billion dollars, as it is demanding $500 dollars per game sold since 2005. Due to the difficulty PCG will have in proving actual intent to deceive and insufficient scope, this amount seems a bit far fetched.

Harry Potter Copyright Infringement with Willy Wizard

Did a 36 page children’s book from a now-deceased and totally obscure British author lead to Harry Potter? Maybe not, but last week, the Associated Press reported that J.K. Rowling and her publisher are being sued for copyright infringement.
The estate of Adrian Jacobs, who died penniless in 1997, alleges that Rowling’s fourth book, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” was lifted from “The Adventures of Willy the Wizard,” written by Jacobs in 1987. The trustee of Jacobs’ estate, Paul Allen, is suing for over $500 million pounds.
According to Rowling: “The claims that are made are not only unfounded but absurd, and I am disappointed that I, and my UK publisher Bloomsbury, are put in a position to have to defend ourselves.”
Unfortunately for Jacobs’ estate, it will be hard to prove that Rowling did in fact plagiarize. Mere ideas are hard to copyright, and from the sound of it, that’s all Jacobs had. Wizard and magic lore is hardly unique intellectual property. Copyrights are given for the execution of a work.
Apparently, Allen’s attorney, Max Markson, has a different view. He was quoted saying he thinks it’s a billion-dollar case