Who doesn’t know the difference between a copyright and a trademark? The New York Times

click to enlarge

Who doesn’t know the difference between a copyright and a trademark?

The New York Times.  In an article dated September 4, 2019, entitled LeBron James, a Fan of Tacos, Seeks to Trademark “Taco Tuesday”, the newspaper says:

On August 15, a company called LBJ Trademarks LLC filed a request with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on behalf of Mr. James to copyright “Taco Tuesday.” 

The reporter’s sloppiness can be seen in the jump from “trademark” in the headline to “copyright” in the quoted sentence.  But even with just a mouse click or two, the reporter could have fact-checked that if someone seeks to “copyright” something, the application does not get filed at the USPTO at all but instead gets filed at the Copyright Office.

This follows in the footsteps of newspapers that did not know the difference between a patent and a trademark, namely USA Today and The National Review.  

One Reply to “Who doesn’t know the difference between a copyright and a trademark? The New York Times”

  1. Looks like they posted a correction. 🙂
    “Correction: Sept. 4, 2019
    An earlier version of this article misstated, in two instances, the type of intellectual property protection that LBJ Trademarks LLC is seeking for the phrase “Taco Tuesday.” It is a trademark, not a copyright”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *