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Trademarks do not expire ever. The intended point of a trademark is essentially to prevent scams. E.g. nobody is allowed to sell something called an "apple com
by bawolff 2y ago
Trademarks do not expire ever.
The intended point of a trademark is essentially to prevent scams. E.g. nobody is allowed to sell something called an "apple computer" except apple. The interest doesnt change with time. (In contrast the theoretical point of copyright and patents is to allow people to recoup r&d costs. Eventually at some point the holder has had a fair shot at recouping the cost, so there is a time limit)
- Dylan16807 2y agoThe comment was not about expiration in any way, it was surprise that the trademark was granted long after the term had started being in wide use. Imagine if "PC compatible" got trademarked in 1997.
- bawolff 2y agoAh, you are right, i misread.
- amelius 2y ago> The intended point of a trademark is essentially to prevent scams. This is why I think that companies should lose their trademarks in case of scandals, e.g. privacy infringements or security breaches. This is a much better punishment than fines which are often just a slap on the wrist. And to the consumer, a scandal often feels similar to being scammed. A trademark is a symbol of trust. And companies who are not trustworthy should not be able to use it.
- MereInterest 2y agoAnd why trademarks should be dissolved in bankruptcy, not treated as a transferable asset. If there’s a break in continuity of the provider, then the public has no guarantees about the quality after such a break.
- j-bos 2y agoOh that's good. I would love to see someone pursue this as a legal claim.
- username332211 2y agoWhat sort of a break of continuity do you think happened in General Motors in 2009?
- redwall_hp 2y agoThey should also not extend to works of fiction, or individual products. Preventing other companies from impersonating your company is one thing, but I don't care if six companies make a Thinginator-o-Matic 9000.
- xyzzy123 2y agoI don't think this would work. Trademarks would be shifted to holding companies and licensed to operating entities so as to avoid legal exposure.
- dredmorbius 2y agoCompanies which have grossly violated trust often need no inducement to jettison their old marks: <https://247wallst.com/special-report/2021/11/04/companies-that-changed-their-names-after-scandals/ https://247wallst.com/special-report/2021/11/04/companies-th...> <https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2023/08/identity-crisis-why-5-companies-changed-their-brand-names/ https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2023/08/identity-crisis-...> That said, your stripping suggestion is interesting. That's also happened: Aspirin, escalator, cellophane, laundromat, kerosene, thermos, and zipper are all former trademarks now considered generic terms.