
From Kimono, through #KimOhNo, to Skims: A branding nightmare for Kim Kardashian
#KimOhNo became a symbol of the backlash to Kim Kardashian’s attempt to register a trademark for her new line of shape wear, Kimono.
Both the ™ symbol and ℠ symbol are used to denote a trademark that hasn't been registered with an intellectual property office (yet). Conversely, the ® sign is used for trademarks that have been successfully gone through the official registration process.
The difference is the ™ symbol is used to denote product marks, while the ℠ symbol is used in connection with services. The ℠ sign is more commonly used in the US, where it's usually recommended to use the ™ sign for product marks, the ℠ sign for services, and the ™ sign for businesses offering both.
However, note that the usage of these symbols is not governed by the law in any way (contrary to the usage of the ® sign), and they present more of a tool for entrepreneurs to signal their intent to obtain a registered trademark.
You can find more information about these three symbols in this article.
#KimOhNo became a symbol of the backlash to Kim Kardashian’s attempt to register a trademark for her new line of shape wear, Kimono.
Cases of multinational companies putting claims against much smaller businesses are far from uncommon, but their result is almost always the same - an absolute PR nightmare for the corporate giants. Oatly AB, a leading plant-based dairy alternatives producer, is amongst the companies that have fallen under public scrutiny after their overly aggressive trademark enforcement actions.
Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Laurent-Perrier and other world-class producers of champagne can no longer use this term to label their products in Russia. The new law passed on 2 July 2021 has caused a considerable upheaval among champagne producers but also consumers. Our legal team has taken a closer look into this dynamics of using geographical indicators.
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