4 ms·

A couple years ago I sold fullscreen.com for not much. 15 years ago I had applied for a trademark, but was refused, the USPTO said it was a generic computer t

A couple years ago I sold fullscreen.com for not much. 15 years ago I had applied for a trademark, but was refused, the USPTO said it was a generic computer term. They mailed me a photocopied computer dictionary with the term full-screen highlighted. I wondered about windows, but gave up there. I used the name briefly for a software product: screensaver & wallpaper 1-click installer. Then a couple years a ago, a new fullscreen had somehow gotten the trademark. They said that I should sell the name because they had a trademark. Not being very clever, I sold it. I'd even been using the name again selling apps -- but my first use with the apps was a little after this new fullscreen got their trademark. Maybe I screwed up -- but it felt to me like whoever had the money for lawyers was going to win a battle like that.

gist 11y ago
> They said that I should sell the name because they had a trademark Who is "they"?
- scardine 11y ago
  I don't know back then, currently "they" are: $ whois fullscreen.com | grep Registrant Registry Registrant ID: Not Available From Registry Registrant Name: DNS Admin Registrant Organization: Fullscreen, Inc Registrant Street: 12180 Millennium Drive Registrant City: Los Angeles Registrant State/Province: California Registrant Postal Code: 90094 Registrant Country: US Registrant Phone: +1.3107409530 Registrant Phone Ext: Registrant Fax: Registrant Fax Ext: Registrant Email: devops@fullscreen.net
- goeric 11y ago
  One of the largest MCNs (YouTube networks). They're owned by AT&T and Chernin Group now.
  - codecamper 11y ago
    Yup, that 250 million deal went down about a week after I relented. :( I'm just a programmer dude. I need to get some legal help, obviously. Lawyers just make my skin crawl though. I look forward to the day we have replaced most of their function with neural nets.
Hermel 11y ago
It is not about the word, it is about whether it is descriptive. For example, you cannot protect "soap" as a trademark for soap, but you can protect "soap" as a trademark for everything else.
angryasian 11y ago
Yep probably was the same Fullscreen MCN. It was around 2014 they stopped using fullscreen.net https://web.archive.org/web/20140311010217/http://fullscreen.net/ https://web.archive.org/web/20140311010217/http://fullscreen... Very litigious. They are the same group behind the fine bros trying to trademark the word "React" http://superfame.com/post/fine-brothers-copyright-react-trademark/ http://superfame.com/post/fine-brothers-copyright-react-trad... http://venturebeat.com/2016/02/01/youtubes-fine-bros-face-legal-challenge-after-enraging-internet-with-react-trademark/ http://venturebeat.com/2016/02/01/youtubes-fine-bros-face-le... and notorious for taking down videos or claiming copyright google h3 productions and fullscreen.

gist 11y ago

> They said that I should sell the name because they had a trademark Who is "they"?

scardine 11y ago
I don't know back then, currently "they" are: $ whois fullscreen.com | grep Registrant Registry Registrant ID: Not Available From Registry Registrant Name: DNS Admin Registrant Organization: Fullscreen, Inc Registrant Street: 12180 Millennium Drive Registrant City: Los Angeles Registrant State/Province: California Registrant Postal Code: 90094 Registrant Country: US Registrant Phone: +1.3107409530 Registrant Phone Ext: Registrant Fax: Registrant Fax Ext: Registrant Email: devops@fullscreen.net
goeric 11y ago
One of the largest MCNs (YouTube networks). They're owned by AT&T and Chernin Group now.
- codecamper 11y ago
  Yup, that 250 million deal went down about a week after I relented. :( I'm just a programmer dude. I need to get some legal help, obviously. Lawyers just make my skin crawl though. I look forward to the day we have replaced most of their function with neural nets.

Hermel 11y ago

It is not about the word, it is about whether it is descriptive. For example, you cannot protect "soap" as a trademark for soap, but you can protect "soap" as a trademark for everything else.

angryasian 11y ago

Yep probably was the same Fullscreen MCN. It was around 2014 they stopped using fullscreen.net https://web.archive.org/web/20140311010217/http://fullscreen.net/ https://web.archive.org/web/20140311010217/http://fullscreen... Very litigious. They are the same group behind the fine bros trying to trademark the word "React" http://superfame.com/post/fine-brothers-copyright-react-trademark/ http://superfame.com/post/fine-brothers-copyright-react-trad... http://venturebeat.com/2016/02/01/youtubes-fine-bros-face-legal-challenge-after-enraging-internet-with-react-trademark/ http://venturebeat.com/2016/02/01/youtubes-fine-bros-face-le... and notorious for taking down videos or claiming copyright google h3 productions and fullscreen.