I want to trademark "trademark"...
Against Monopoly
defending the right to innovate
Monopoly corrupts. Absolute monopoly corrupts absolutely.
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Trademark Pwnage
Trademork.com is an excellent source of silly trademarks, as shown by this recent example: A Finnish computer game company is applying for a trademark for the term "pwnage," a recently coined word signifying that someone has been had. The company cannot lay any claims that it created the word, and the word is now commonly used in the gaming and online communities.
[Posted at 03/03/2008 03:57 PM by Christian Zimmermann on IP as a Joke 
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Comments
Having a trademark for "pwnage" doesn't give you exclusive rights in the word. It just means that you can prevent others from marketing goods and services (specific goods and services, which are listed in the registration) under that word in a confusing manner. So don't panic about someone trademarking commonly-used words. It's no worse than someone choosing the name of a Greek God (Nike) for their shoes, or the name of a fruit (Apple) for their computers. I can't sell my computers as "Apples," (it would confuse consumers) but I can call lots of other things Apple, including apples.
In fact, there are several U.S. registrations for the word "Trademark." It doesn't prevent anyone else from using the word.
[Comment at 03/04/2008 11:20 AM by Anon]
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