How does this happen? Who are the people who decide what is a valid patent/trademark and what isn't? We all here look at each other in disbelief (figuratively). Yes someone granted the the trademark thinking this is valid thing to do.<p>I guess, thinking about it. No matter how indignant I would get about this topic, I really don't see myself dropping programming and applying to the Patent Office.<p>It seems to me this is not completely unlike the case of primary education in US. I have heard and seen horror stories about utter incompetence of math and science teachers in some schools. I get angry and indignant about it. But, in the morning, I will go back to programming. I will not be applying for a teaching certificate or whatever the first step is to become a teacher.<p>Painting with broad strokes here, it seem, this is the work non-experts doing experts' work. The tragedy is there are anti-incentives to attracting passionate or driven individuals in such positions. Bureaucracy, low pay, perceived cultural low status of the jobs, is probably the driving force behinds these kind of things.
It is a trademark, not a patent nor copyright. There was not copyright violation, and not trademark violation. Zazzle jumped the gun. If they had actually read the letter they could just have ignored it.
Imagine if all math books in future will have to include a footnote saying: "All greek letters' trademarks are property of their respective owners" :)
IANAL but I'm pretty sure that a judge would never rule that there was possibility of confusion between all of these products on Zazzle and Pi Corporation. I think the real issue here is that Zazzle needs to exercise more discretion on which cease and desist letters it follows.
Are people allowed to trademark an arbitrary letter of an arbitrary alphabet? How about arbitrary collections of letters that may or may not form a 'word'?
Did Mr. Ingrisano actually create and copyright a particular font used with his trademarked symbol or does his trademark apply to any use of that symbol followed by a period? Is the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office testing how thin the ice upon which it can skate before the entire institution falls through?
Weak Zazzle and anyone else actually taking this seriously in the first place, even if they reconsidered afterwards. The incentive to try to abuse the system is too great in the US and met with success way too often... Companies and individuals need to stand up against this kind of thing.
I <3 this guy's next attempt.<p><a href="http://www.trademarks411.com/marks/85481027-i-lt-3" rel="nofollow">http://www.trademarks411.com/marks/85481027-i-lt-3</a><p>For the record, I don't.