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And just in the news: T-Mobile says it owns exclusive rights to the color magenta https://adage.com/article/digital/t-mobile-says-it-owns-exclusive-rights-col

And just in the news: T-Mobile says it owns exclusive rights to the color magenta https://adage.com/article/digital/t-mobile-says-it-owns-exclusive-rights-color-magenta/2212556?utm_source=ad-age-media-buzz&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20191104&utm_content=hero-headline https://adage.com/article/digital/t-mobile-says-it-owns-excl...

mfer 7y ago
It's interesting, and I hope worth spreading in Germany where the laws on this exist, that a company can lay claim to a color and enforce that against other companies who are not competing in the same industry.
xenocyon 7y ago
Another fun story: Chicago-based poke company goes after Hawaiian restaurants over the word 'Aloha': https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/native-hawaiian-activists-call-boycott-protest-over-aloha-poke-trademark-n898691 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/native-hawaiian-a...
- jessaustin 7y ago
  "Chicago-based poke company" Everything about that seems like a bad idea.
  - daveslash 7y ago
    Definitely seems fishy to me....
- markdown 7y ago
  A Florida-based bar did the same with the Fijian equivalent of Aloha: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45675016 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45675016
samsolomon 7y ago
Well that's outrageous. It's one thing to sue over similar names—I can see a case that people might have misconceptions over products. Saying you own the rights to a color is ridiculous. T-Mobile and Lemonade are in different industries.
- rement 7y ago
  Hershey trademarked the Reese's orange https://newfoodeconomy.org/food-company-color-trademarks-reeses-peanut-butter-chocolate-orange/ https://newfoodeconomy.org/food-company-color-trademarks-ree...
  - kstrauser 7y ago
    I'm OK with that, to a point, within a narrow scope. If you go to grab a chocolate bar off a shelf, you want reasonable assurance that it's what you think you're getting, and not Re-Sees Peanut Butter Caps. Trademarks were an early form of consumer protection.
- ip26 7y ago
  I still remember when Sony patented (trademarked?) a number.
  - michaelmrose 7y ago
    There is a fundamental equivalence between numbers and other concepts. Any concept can be mapped to any particular number based on the method of encoding chosen. Intellectual property is saying that I own this particular result of turning a number into usable output regardless of starting number. This is to say that we can't tell without actually decoding the number so we are in fact asserting that there is a chance we own any and all numbers if someone later publishes the encoding that would turn your number into a picture of a cartoon mouse.
    - pgreenwood 7y ago
      There is a fundamental equivalence between unique pictures of a cartoon mice and automobiles. Any automobile can be mapped to any particular unique cartoon mouse picture based on the method of encoding chosen. Automobile ownership is saying that I own this particular result of turning a unique cartoon mouse picture into usable car regardless of starting cartoon mouse picture. This is to say that we can't tell without actually decoding the cartoon mouse picture so we are in fact asserting that there is a chance we own any and all cartoon mouse pictures if someone later publishes the encoding that would turn your cartoon mouse picture into an automobile.

mfer 7y ago

It's interesting, and I hope worth spreading in Germany where the laws on this exist, that a company can lay claim to a color and enforce that against other companies who are not competing in the same industry.

xenocyon 7y ago

Another fun story: Chicago-based poke company goes after Hawaiian restaurants over the word 'Aloha': https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/native-hawaiian-activists-call-boycott-protest-over-aloha-poke-trademark-n898691 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/native-hawaiian-a...

jessaustin 7y ago
"Chicago-based poke company" Everything about that seems like a bad idea.
- daveslash 7y ago
  Definitely seems fishy to me....
markdown 7y ago
A Florida-based bar did the same with the Fijian equivalent of Aloha: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45675016 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45675016

samsolomon 7y ago

Well that's outrageous. It's one thing to sue over similar names—I can see a case that people might have misconceptions over products. Saying you own the rights to a color is ridiculous. T-Mobile and Lemonade are in different industries.

rement 7y ago
Hershey trademarked the Reese's orange https://newfoodeconomy.org/food-company-color-trademarks-reeses-peanut-butter-chocolate-orange/ https://newfoodeconomy.org/food-company-color-trademarks-ree...
- kstrauser 7y ago
  I'm OK with that, to a point, within a narrow scope. If you go to grab a chocolate bar off a shelf, you want reasonable assurance that it's what you think you're getting, and not Re-Sees Peanut Butter Caps. Trademarks were an early form of consumer protection.
ip26 7y ago
I still remember when Sony patented (trademarked?) a number.
- michaelmrose 7y ago
  There is a fundamental equivalence between numbers and other concepts. Any concept can be mapped to any particular number based on the method of encoding chosen. Intellectual property is saying that I own this particular result of turning a number into usable output regardless of starting number. This is to say that we can't tell without actually decoding the number so we are in fact asserting that there is a chance we own any and all numbers if someone later publishes the encoding that would turn your number into a picture of a cartoon mouse.
  - pgreenwood 7y ago
    There is a fundamental equivalence between unique pictures of a cartoon mice and automobiles. Any automobile can be mapped to any particular unique cartoon mouse picture based on the method of encoding chosen. Automobile ownership is saying that I own this particular result of turning a unique cartoon mouse picture into usable car regardless of starting cartoon mouse picture. This is to say that we can't tell without actually decoding the cartoon mouse picture so we are in fact asserting that there is a chance we own any and all cartoon mouse pictures if someone later publishes the encoding that would turn your cartoon mouse picture into an automobile.