By now, we’ve all heard of patent trolls, but now is a good time for us to visit its lesser known cousin, the trademark bully. And yes, just like copyright bullies and the patent troll, they’re not particularly loved. The reasons for their existence, unsurprisingly is related to the complexities of Intellectual Property practice.

Are you (or your company) a trademark bully? To find out, take a look at the list of symptoms below.

IP Law Again

The world of intellectual property law is, in many ways, one of the most fascinating areas of legal practice. It also has the reputation of being opaque; it generates controversy; and it can be incredibly profitable. Just imagine the amount of money on the line for mega-companies and their patents? And even Apple with its billions has got to hurt a little with its recent loss to VirnetX over violations that made FaceTime possible.

Trademarks Are High Maintenance

Patents and copyrights are special in the sense that the rights owners can just sit there and sue – or threaten to. But trademark holders enjoy no such privilege. The trademark must be in actual use at the time of the claimed violation. We’ll get into some of the legal issues implicating trademark, but peruse this list of highly interwoven factors:

Shoot Now, Ask Questions Later

A good many trademarks are in the hands of very large corporations who have battalions of lawyers and very large legal wallets that regard pre-litigation and litigation fees as “costs of doing business.” Without looking at the merits of a possible fair use usage on the recipient of the CDL, the typical practice is to shoot now and ask questions later.

War Chest vs. Penny Purse

Being highly moneyed helps because this can be an expensive process. Usually, the recipient is not as large and will usually acquiesce. Bullies know this. In fact, the mere receiving of a Cease and Desist Letter is often all that is needed to frighten the other side into submission.

The USPTO knew of the dangers that festoon the IP world. It defined the trademark bully as the “trademark owner that uses its trademark rights to harass and intimidate another business beyond what the law might be reasonably interpreted to allow.” But even several years after the report was released, IP continues to be littered with egregious IP issues.

A Fine Line

A recurring theme of legal practice is encapsulated by the phrase, “It depends.” Those who would be wrongfully accused of being trademark bullies are actually simply protecting their brand in good faith.

So, as in house, your duty is to protect the brand – but try and employ best practices. Otherwise you too could be targeted undeservedly as the subject of much hate – like patent trolls.

Related Resources:

  • Tradenmark Extortion: The End of Trademark Law (Washington and Lee Review)
  • For Trademark Infringement Claims, Confusion Is All That’s Required (FindLaw’s U.S. Third Circuit Blog)
  • Redskins’ Lawyers File Raunchiest Brief of 2015 in 4th Circuit (FindLaw’s U.S. Third Circuit Blog)
  • OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma Loses at the Federal Circuit (FindLaw’s U.S. Third Circuit Blog)

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