IMAX Sues Cinemark For Building Competing System... While Being An IMAX Customer

Filmmaker Allowed To Use The Name Rin Tin Tin To Describe Rin Tin Tin

from the only-after-a-fight dept

Mon, Nov 23rd 2009 10:26pm — Mike Masnick

Looks like the courts got one right concerning a trademark claim involving famed movie dog Rin Tin Tin. It seems that some movie makers wanted to make a movie about Rin Tin Tin, which seemed reasonable enough. However, Rin Tin Tin Inc., a company that continues to breed "Rin Tin Tin dogs" for movies objected to the use of the name, saying that since they held the trademark on Rin Tin Tin, the movie was infringing. Thankfully, the judge disagreed, noting that the movie is about Rin Tin Tin, and thus was descriptive and a perfectly reasonable use of the name.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: rin tin tin, trademark

6 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

so, 23 Nov 2009 @ 11:35pm

i could
call a movie RIAA.SUCKS if the movie was about the riaa sucking
LOL
YA BABY
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Chargone (profile), 24 Nov 2009 @ 12:52am

Re: i could
of course, you could expect some lawyers to come calling if it wasn't heavily bias in their favour. you know they'd find Something to object about.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Enrico Suarve, 24 Nov 2009 @ 1:03am

Hang on...
Someone wants to make a movie about a dog, and the only way that a company who breed look-a-likes of that dog for movies could figure to monetize it was to sue?

Exactly how low does your IQ have to be before you are allowed to set up business in Hollywood?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Poddys (profile), 24 Nov 2009 @ 1:13am

And What Audience Is This For...
Ok if you are as old as me you might just remember Rin Tin Tin. Well I remember watching it when I was only knee high to a grasshopper, but other than it being US Cavalry and the Dog, I don't remember anything at all.

So assuming that the audience is going to be in the 60 or over age group, it's really just another piece of Hollywood nostalgia. I would still like to see it though out of interest.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Nov 2009 @ 1:38am

Need a patent attorney
Hey, on that note, does anyone know a good patent attorney? I need one that preferably is unfamiliar with the Muppets.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Jose Burgos, 24 Nov 2009 @ 11:18am

Shouldn't Rin Tin Tin Inc. even thank the movie producers for the advertisement?
[ link to this | view in thread ]