Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A.

Last week, I saw a news item about a juice company that was growing fruit with its mark embedded in the fruit. Freaky. Watch the video, preferably outside of mealtime in case it has a stomach-churning affect on your fruit…more

Another day, another new social network. Microsoft has thrown its hat into the ring by launching so.cl (perhaps one of you branding peeps can explain these misspelled words, abbreviations, and abundance of per.iods). Yes, you…more

Minnesota Republicans met this weekend in St. Cloud and endorsed state Rep. Kurt Bills (R-Rosemount) to go up against Senator Amy Klobuchar in the race for the U.S. Senate. Bills, a high school economics teacher from Rosemount,…more

As we have written before, any brand extension requires the necessary due diligence to mitigate the risk of a serious trademark conflict. And, from a trademark perspective, both strength and scope of rights necessarily expand as…more

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I were dining out. Neither of us can remember the specifics (life with a newborn will do this to you), but my hazy recollection is that one of us ordered something with cheese, and following the…more

The phrase “from scratch” has a different meaning depending upon who is saying it. When a client hears a marketing firm use these words, they are probably equating “from scratch” with “expensive.” The reality is that the…more

There is a new billboard advertisement on the scene in Minneapolis, Minnesota, complete with multiple meanings and at least one obvious third party brand reference…more

The State Legislature finalized three major bills—the tax bill, bonding bill, and the stadium bill—this week after long floor debates and dozens of amendments. Lawmakers ultimately put their stamp of approval on the three major…more

I have generally enjoyed Geico’s commercials over the years, having gone so far at one point as to actually become an auto-insurance customer (but not currently). Geico’s commercials can be viewed on its website here, and the…more

DVR is a wonderful thing. I’m not always home to catch my favorite television shows, and DVR has the added bonus of the ability to fast-forward through the commercials. Except nowadays clever advertisers have gotten “around”…more

Dan sees blue ovals, I see and enjoy branding irony — especially irony that appears unintended. Take the example to the right, an ad for EagleBank, a community bank operating in the Washington, D.C. area. While…more

I am going to Paris in a couple of weeks, so the recent $100 million judgment in favor of the Paris based Hermès International SCA (“Hermès”) piqued my interest. Unlike my prior post Stealing Trademarks Can Land You in Jail,…more

Lawmakers scrambled this week to piece together key bills and shape an exit strategy after disregarding their self-imposed adjournment deadline of April 30th. House Majority Leader Matt Dean (R-Dellwood) said Tuesday that doing…more

Last year, we informed you that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued new rules requiring most employers to post a new employee rights poster by April 30, 2012. Last Friday, a federal court in South Carolina ruled…more

How many of you have experienced the purportedly divine dining experience of Kobe beef? According to a recent article, the number is probably substantially lower than believed. According to Forbes, the vast majority of Kobe…more