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Distinctiveness: It’s a core product feature. After putting in the time and money it takes to make your product distinguishable in the marketplace, how do you protect that investment? Alcoholic beverage producers are likely familiar with the concept of trademarks, which are used to identify products and protect consumers from being confused about the source of goods or services. Trademark rights exist for as long as the marks are used in commerce. They do not have to be registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, but registration is highly advisable to provide notice to others interested in the mark that it is already being used in commerce. Trademark laws also protect “trade dress,” meaning features of a product or a product’s packaging that are distinctive and not required for functionality, but rather are used to identify the product in the marketplace as being made by a certain producer. For example the color green in a stop light is functional and could not be protected by trade dress, while the color green used on a product bottle may be protectable under trademark law.
Patents, on the other hand, must be registered in order to secure protection in the market, and the protection exists for a certain time period even if the item or design registered is not used in commerce. A design patent protects the ornamental design for a functional item—such as a unique bottle design that is not explicitly tied to the overall functionality of the item. Depending on the uniqueness and importance of the bottle design, it may be worth the time and capital required to fully prosecute a design patent. Obtaining a design patent requires proof that the design is (a) novel, (b) useful, and (c) not obvious. While the shapes, sizes, and colors that are used to create an association in consumers’ minds between a product itself and the product’s manufacturer may be protectable as trade dress, they may also be protectable, for a limited period of time, by a design patent. For example, the distinctive curved bottle for Coca-Cola was once covered by a design patent. The design patent expired; however, the bottle is still protected under trademark law as trade dress. The process for prosecuting a patent is lengthy and often costly, but if a bottle design is a key product element, it might be worth investigating.
Alcohol.law Digest is published for general informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. Copyright © 2010-2011 · All Rights Reserved ·
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