{"id":34280,"date":"2016-03-31T19:21:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T00:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-legal\/uncategorized\/the-film-industry-what-you-need-to-know-about-trademarks.html"},"modified":"2017-06-09T14:53:01","modified_gmt":"2017-06-09T19:53:01","slug":"the-film-industry-what-you-need-to-know-about-trademarks","status":"publish","type":"corporate","link":"https:\/\/corporate.findlaw.com\/intellectual-property\/the-film-industry-what-you-need-to-know-about-trademarks.html","title":{"rendered":"The Film Industry: What You Need to Know About Trademarks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When it comes to intellectual property, filmmakers tend to overlook the importance of trademarks and focus all of their attention on the marginally sexier world of copyright<\/a>. This is understandable but could prove costly, particularly given the evolving nature of the film industry with respect to ancillary revenue opportunities. What follows, therefore, is a brief overview regarding the basics of trademarks law and its value to the film industry’s brand management efforts.<\/p>\n

"A trademark is a sign which distinguishes the goods and\/or services of one trader from those of another."<\/i><\/p>\n

First off, what is a trademark<\/a>? In layman’s terms, a trademark is a "sign" which distinguishes the goods and\/or services of one trader from those of another. This sign can take the form of words, logos, pictures, letters, designs, numerals and even smells and sounds (for example, the "Intel Inside" jingle), either by themselves or working in tandem. It’s crucial to point out right away that trademarks can be either registered or unregistered and that not all "signs" are capable of trademark registration. In order to be capable of registration the sign must:<\/p>\n