You can't copyright a name -- you can't even copyright a book title. You also can't copyright an idea. You can only copyright a particular expression of an idea -- a poem, a story, a book. You can trademark a company name or product name. And you have to protect your trademark in cases where it may seem that people are impinging on your product. For example, you trademark Smith & Associates as a manure consulting firm, then when another manure consulting firm sets itself up as "Smith & Associates," you might have a case -- there is the possibility of customers getting confused. But if someone sells Granny Smith apples, there's nothing you can do. You also have to do a prior use search. If the name or logo you're trying to trademark is already in use, or is common public phrase, there is nothing you can do. The best you can do is come up with a fancy logo to go with the name and trademark the combination of name and logo. -- Maria On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 10:22 PM, DAVID F. FARKAS <david at farkas.com> wrote: > ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area. > ** If you did, we all thank you. > > > > You don't (can't) 'copyright' a name, you can trademark or servicemark > it. Copyrighting is for more 'substantial' works (stories, articles, > poems, songs, musical pieces, computer programs, plays, and so on). > > > I understand that's the idea but I recall folks copyrighting their > names as a ploy to keep the government from issuing documents using it. > That's not the reason I want to do it, but you get the idea. > > Ay time someone uses your copyrighted name they would need > permission. You only have to enforce that a few times to make people pay > attention and check with you before doing anything. <chkl> > > Trademark may well be what I need, but a quick look at the govt > site made it sound like a trademark / servicemark needs to be a logo. I just > want to protect use of / brand the name. > > Thanx. > David > > ------------------------------ > * LOVE is the Renewable Resource * DAVID FRANKLIN FARKAS > www.HouseHealing.com <http://www.househealing.com/> > www.YourChocolateHeaven.com <http://www.yourchocolateheaven.com/> > ------------------------------ > * How can they say my life is not a success? Have > I not, for more than sixty years, got enough to eat > and escaped being eaten? ~ Logan P. Smith > ------------------------------ > * No trees were destroyed by sending this message. However, a > significant number of electrons were sorely inconvenienced > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net > Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net > > You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list. > If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members > page on the Hidden Tech Web site. > http://www.hidden-tech.net/members > -- -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Maria Trombly | TROMBLY LTD Covering securities, payments and technology for the world's top trade magazines Work: 413-323-4356 | Cell: 413-559-9055 | maria at tromblyltd.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.hidden-tech.net/pipermail/hidden-discuss/attachments/20081119/f31e75c6/attachment-0001.html