LucasFilm Sues Jedi Mind Over 'Jedi'

An anonymous reader writes "Apparently the force is strong with LucasFilm's legal department, as they've sued the company Jedi Mind for trademark infringement and breach of contract, among other things. While LucasFilm doesn't actually own a trademark on 'Jedi,' it claims that its related marks are close enough, and that Jedi Mind had agreed last year to phase out the use of 'Jedi' in its name and product names."

Comments

Re:How did they alter anything?

[Pharmboy]

Technically, trademarks apply to specific product types only, ie: there are many companies that use the same trademarked name for completely different products. I know because I work for one of them. There are several different companies that use the same trademarked names for different products, and there isn't anything the others can do. Oh, they can SUE but technically, as long as you aren't trying to confuse the public on the ownership it is acceptable. In this instance, they ARE trying to confuse the public (in the legal sense), so it is likely infringing.

Nissan Computers and Nissan Motors is one example. Go to www.nissan.com and read about the most fucked up court battle you can imagine on this.

Other examples would be Chunky Soup® vs. Chunky® candy bars, SunMaster® grow lamps vs. SunMaster® tomato seeds vs. SunMaster® tanning beds. All are legally registered trademarks for their particular industries. Technically, you could have IBM® brand breakfast cereal as long as it wasn't marketed to confuse the customer to think that International Business Machines, Inc. wasn't the parent company. Obviously, this wouldn't stop them from trying to sue you, but the way that trademark law is setup, it is considered perfectly legitimate.