Martha Stewart In Trademark Legal Battle
Martha Stewart has a new line of furniture being released this summer. She purchased a new home, let’s call it a sprawling estate, in Katonah, New York. She fell in love with the area and wanted to call a line of her furniture, paints, home products, etc…after her beloved new hometown. The catch is she wants to trademark the name.
The Katonah Village Improvement Society has found legal counsel and is going to fight the trademark. Martha Stewart Omnimedia ensures the town that businesses will be able to still use the name. The concern of the Katonah business community is that if for some reason one of them wanted to make some sort of product line that they would be unable to use the Katonah name.
I’ve heard both sides. Martha Stewart Omnimedia says that it is a common practice, such a Philadelphia Cream Cheese. The town of Katonah sees potential problems. For example, if someone handcrafted furniture and wanted to open a store, they would be unable to use a name such as Katonah Furniture Store. They argue that they don’t mind if Martha Stewart Omnimedia uses the town’s name, but they don’t want her to trademark it.
Who’s right? We will soon find out, for the court battle will soon begin.
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1 opinion for Martha Stewart In Trademark Legal Battle
Foodie Obsessed - Katonah’s Satirist and the Marthometer
Mar 31, 2007 at 7:47 pm
[…] The Marthometer, to show his disdain for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s attempt to trademark his town’s name, […]
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