[Freeciv-Dev] Re: (PR#14917) Patch: martian.ruleset

["Sam Varshavchik" <mrsam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

<URL: http://bugs.freeciv.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=14917 >

Jason Short writes:

> 
> <URL: http://bugs.freeciv.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=14917 >
> 
> Daniel Markstedt wrote:
>> <URL: http://bugs.freeciv.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=14917 >
>> 
>> Well, he of course deserves to be leader of the Martians more than any
>> Earthling who never sat his foot in space. =)
>> 
>> But in the end, I think we'd rather avoid adding (any more) trademarked
>> fictional content to the game...
> 
> I don't think the name Marvin can be trademarked.  For instance I know 
> several people named Marvin.

USPTO runs a convenient web-accessible search page.

There are a couple of trademarks on the word "Marvin" alone, by "Marvin 
Lumber and Cedar Company CORPORATION MINNESOTA 401 State Avenue North 
Warroad MINNESOTA 56763".

Here's an interesting one:

Word Mark        MARVIN
Goods and Services      IC 028. US 022 023 038 050. G & S: Toys, games and 
playthings; Christmas tree ornaments; snow globes; gymnastic and sporting 
articles (except clothing); hand-held unit for playing electronic games
Standard Characters Claimed     
Mark Drawing Code       (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Design Search Code      
Serial Number   78614184
Filing Date     April 21, 2005
Current Filing Basis    1B
Original Filing Basis   1B
Owner   (APPLICANT) Disney Enterprises, Inc. CORPORATION DELAWARE 500 South 
Buena Vista Street Burbank CALIFORNIA 91521

Disney trademarked "Marvin" less than a year ago.


There's a "MARVIN THE MARTIAN" trademark which is in the "abandoned" status 
(!) as of 1999:

Word Mark        MARVIN THE MARTIAN
Goods and Services      (ABANDONED) IC 042. US 100 101. G & S: providing 
multiple-user access to a global computer information network for the 
transfer and dissemination of a wide range of information
Owner   (APPLICANT) Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P. composed of 
American Television and Communications corporation, Time Warner Operations 
Inc., Warner Communications Inc., and Warner Cable Communications Inc., all 
Delaware corporations, Capital Cablevision Systems, Inc., and People's Cable 
corporation, both New York corporations, and Memphis CATV, Inc., a Tennessee 
corporation LIMITED PARTNERSHIP DELAWARE 75 Rockefeller Plaza New York NEW 
YORK 10019

Word Mark        MARVIN THE MARTIAN
Goods and Services      IC 025. US 039. G & S: clothing; namely, T-shirts, 
and shorts. FIRST USE: 19871101. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19871101

Strangely enough I can't find a trademark for either "MARVIN" or "MARVIN THE 
MARTIAN" from Warner for a cartoon or a fictional character.  Warner seems 
to be trademarking "MARVIN THE MARTIAN", if anything, and there are plenty 
of other people trademarking "MARVIN", for all sorts of things.

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