November 10, 2017, Philadelphia Trademark Attorney Riddle recently visited students at La Salle University’s Center for Entrepreneurship. He spoke about Intellectual Property Law (IP Law), with a focus on trademarks. Attorney Riddle discussed how IP law is used by businesses to secure brand identity, and competitive advantages. During the discussion, he and the students discussed the four traditional categories of IP Law. The categories discussed were Patent Law, Trademark Law, Copyright Law, and Trade Secret Law. Attorney Riddle used a Life Saver® candy to demonstrate some of the applicable concepts of IP Law.
An examination of trademark records shows that shape of the LifeSaver’s candy eventually was granted as a trademark. This gave the owner an exclusive right to make and sell mints having a hole in the center. The records also showed that the shape was rejected as being functional, but that rejection was overcome.
It remains debatable whether the hole in a LifeSaver actually can prevent someone from choking. Even so, which mint would you give your child? The Mint with the Hole in it! That’s a competitive advantage, which was secured long ago by registering the shape of the mint as a trademark.
EsquireTrademarks.com – Philadelphia Trademark Attorney – What We Do:
- Our Philadelphia trademark attorney, prepares and files trademark applications for clients throughout the United States and abroad.
- We prosecute and defend trademark infringement and unfair competition actions in the Federal Courts throughout the United States and abroad.
- We also prosecute trademark office actions and appeals before the United States Trademark Office.
- We handle internet based trademark disputes and trademark, DMCA, and copyright takedowns.
- We draw on our experience as trademark litigators to guide you through the trademark process.
- We support businesses, law firms, and individuals by providing top notch legal services in intellectual property matters.