Make money by misunderstanding trademark law


New York Times: He Says He Owns the Word ‘Stealth’ (Actually, He Claims ‘Chutzpah,’ Too):

Over the last few years, Leo Stoller has written dozens of letters to companies and organizations and individuals stating that he owns the trademark to ‘stealth.’ He has threatened to sue people who have used the word without his permission. In some cases, he has offered to drop objections in exchange for thousands of dollars. And in a few of those instances, people or companies have paid up.
‘If a trademark owner doesn’t go up to the plate each day and police his mark, he will be overrun by third-party infringers,’ Mr. Stoller, a 59-year-old entrepreneur, said in a telephone interview from his office in Chicago. ‘We sue a lot of companies.’

Joe Gratz has more details: Idiotic Trademark Abuse: “The attached response letter from Aimee Wolfson, Columbia Pictures’ VP for Legal Affairs, is a superb smackdown; it’s one of the first big-studio legal documents I’ve read that I’ve enjoyed.”

Andrew Raff @andrewraff