‘Lord Of The Wings’ Food Truck Trademark In New Zealand Defeated By Tolkien Estate
‘Lord Of The Wings’ Food Truck Trademark In New Zealand Defeated By Tolkien Estate

‘Lord Of The Wings’ Food Truck Trademark In New Zealand Defeated By Tolkien Estate

‘Lord Of The Wings’ Food Truck Trademark In New Zealand Defeated By Tolkien Estate
‘Lord Of The Wings’ Food Truck Trademark In New Zealand Defeated By Tolkien Estate
So trademark holders being douchebags as usual. The Lord of the Rings isn't associated with chicken wings in anyway so how could consumers be confused?
I've also never understood things like this from a marketing perspective. Like this is definitely dissimilar, but even if it were an on the nose deal with like "Sauron Sauce" or whatever as one of their offerings, you're still getting recognition.
Even if the Tolkien estate were concerned about the cheapening of their "brand", who tf cares? It's obviously not about that, because I just checked and there is a line of LOTR Funko Pops for fuck's sake.
And if a work like The Lord of the Rings can't stand on its own (with regard to seriousness and artistic value) with the addition of kitschy wing trucks, I don't know what else would.
Seems like a win-win to me, but then again, I fucking hate trademarking and patenting laws in general. Intellectual property is a pretty spurious concept at best and courts around the world have consistently shown it is a tool used to quash innovation, promote stagnant wealth, and keep the heel on the middle and lower classes.
Wonder what Tolkien would think? His decendents become greedy assholes.
I think all trademarks should die on works of art 20 years after the person dies.
At least in US Intellectual Property Law there are rules for some areas that once you, as the rights holder, know of possibly infringement you must defend your IP or you risk losing it.
I think the Funko-pops are actually a good example of why they need to protect the trademark. What if the estate does want to start marketing wing sauces? What if they want to sponsor a hot wing eating contest? Or host an aerial stunt show? Would they need to split the proceeds with the guy who owns the food truck?
All of these ideas are stupid, and would cheapen the brand, but it's their brand. If they don't defend it, it makes future protections harder. If they don't fight Lord of the Wings, what about Lord of the Strings? Lord of the Springs? Slings? Things? Blings?
Brand dilution isn't just about the one narrow use case.
That argument would be more persuasive if it was "Lord of Wings."
Agreed.
Confusion isn't the only issue. There's also trademark dilution.
In dilution, confusion literally is the issue. The point is: literally fucking nobody would be confused.
Just ask Apple Music how well that went fighting Apple Computers for 40 fucking years or so.
It ended with Apple Music putting all the Beatles music catalogue on iTunes.
Nobody was ever confused about Apple Music and Apple Computers.
Just like nobody would be confused by this, considering it has no relation to LOTR other than a name.