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News Technology Trademarks

Motorola Kore: It’s going to be a pair of workout headphones, not a tablet

workout

Motorola squashed any speculation that recent domain name registrations around the word “Kore” would be for the company’s next tablet device, after filing a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for headphones that monitor a person’s physical activity and fitness.

The trademark filing came on August 3, the same day Motorola registered domains such as MotorolaKore.com, but the filing (Serial Number: 85388115) didn’t appear online with the USPTO until yesterday. 

The mark is limited to the following goods and services: “ELECTRONIC NON MEDICAL PORTABLE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY MONITOR AND FITNESS DEVICE FOR MEASURING MOVEMENTS, INDIVIDUAL’S ENERGY EXPENDITURE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL AND ACCESSORIES THEREFORE, NAMELY, HEADPHONES; SOFTWARE FOR DEVELOPING AND MONITORING PERSONAL ACTIVITY AND EXERCISE PLANS, TRAINING PLANS, TRAINING GOALS AND GIVING FEEDBACK ON THE ACHIEVED RESULTS”. 

Many people had speculated (including myself) that Motorola Kore would be the device maker’s next tablet.  Given that one of the rumored features for Motorola’s upcoming tablet would include a quad-core processor, the name seemed fitting.

A day after registering the “Kore” domain names, Motorola also registered “Energia” domain names.  As it turns out, Motorola has similar “headphone” plans for Energia as well, filing a trademark (Serial Number: 85388873) the same day it filed for “Motorola Kore”.

With Kore and Energia slated for headphones, it looks like we won’t know the name of the company’s next generation tablet for some time.

UPDATE 8/11/2011 2:40 AM EST:.  Droid Life pointed out by email to me that “Motorola Kore” could very well be the company’s “all-in-one fitness and music personal fitness device”.

Discussion: Geeky Gadgets, SlashGear, Droid Life, Phone Arena, Xataka, Droid Forum, GottaBeMobile, geek.com, Phandroid, AndroidGuys, Electricpig and Stuff Middle East

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News Trademarks Video Games

RockYou files trademark for Hooked

RockYou office

RockYou, one of Facebook’s top 25 developers has filed a trademark for Hooked, for a yet-to-be revealed game.

There are no clues given as to what the game will be about, other than the limited details found in the trademark.

The trademark application was filed on August 2 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Word Mark  HOOKED

Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Downloadable computer software for use on wireless devices and computers for social networking for use in the field of online and mobile gaming; Computer game software; video game software; interactive video game programs; computer software to enable uploading, posting, showing displaying, tagging, blogging, sharing electronic media or information regarding the fields of virtual communities, electronic gaming, entertainment, and general interest via the Internet or other communications networks with third parties

IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, providing on-line computer games; providing information on-line relating to computer games and computer enhancements for games; Entertainment services, namely, providing on-line reviews of computer games; providing an Internet website portal in the field of computer games and gaming
 
Standard Characters Claimed 
Mark Drawing Code (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Serial Number 85387704
Filing Date August 2, 2011
Current Filing Basis 1B
Original Filing Basis 1B
Owner (APPLICANT) RockYou Inc. CORPORATION DELAWARE 425 Broadway Redwood City CALIFORNIA 94063
Attorney of Record Kelly Phair McCarthy
Type of Mark TRADEMARK. SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE

I’ve reached out to RockYou for comment on Hooked and will update this post if I hear back.

Discussion: Gamezebo

(Photo of RockYou offices in Redwood City, CA via GlassDoor.com)

Categories
News Trademarks Video Games

Zynga files trademark for “With Friends” with the US Patent and Trademark Office

Zynga with Friends

On March1, 2011, Zynga filed for a trademark on the word “ville” in Europe. 

Days later, Zynga then followed “ville” with an application in Europe for “With Friends” on March 7. 

Now, the social gaming giant which filed for its IPO on July 1, has filed an application (No. 85361265) for trademark rights on the word mark “With Friends” in the United States.

As opposed to the European trademark filing [read here] which covers three different categories of goods and services ranging from clothing and footwear to education, the U.S. trademark is much simpler:

“Providing an online portal for computer games, video games, and gaming applications; providing information about computer games, video games, and gaming applications via the Internet.”

It was revealed in Zynga’s IPO filing that the company paid $53.3 million for the purchase of Newtoy, the developer of “Words With Friends” and other popular “With Friends” games.

Considering the amount paid for NewToy was its largest of any of its acquisitions, the company is definitely interested in protecting its “With Friends” brands, although it may ruffle some feathers as it did with its application for “Ville”.

Categories
News Trademarks

It’s official: Google owns Photovine.com

Google Photovine

Just over a week ago, on June 18, I wrote about Google filing a trademark application for “Photovine” and speculated that the company owned the domain name, photovine.com, after the Whois records switched to MarkMonitor and DNStination from its previous owner.

Now it’s official — Google owns the domain, photovine.com. 

On June 23, the Whois record started showing Google as the owner.

Registrant:
        DNS Admin
        Google Inc.
        1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
         Mountain View CA 94043
        US

    Domain Name: photovine.com

        Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com
        Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com
        Registrar Homepage: http://www. markmonitor.com

 Created on…………..: 2004-10-28.
    Expires on…………..: 2013-10-28.
    Record last updated on..: 2011-06-23.

    Domain servers in listed order:

    gdm1.photovine.com
    gdm0.photovine.com

You might also notice that the domain has its own nameservers, right now though, no other domain names are located there.

Google has not officially announced anything about Photovine, however there has been a lot of online discussion about what the service may be, based on the trademark application.

As of today, a message on the website simply reads: Nothing to see here, move along.

Discussion: The Next Web

Categories
Trademarks

UPDATED: R3D Entertainment files trademark for 3D.com, buying domain

Transformers War for Cybertron

Updated June 23, 2011, 6:40 PM:  I received an email from Lanny Rutkin, owner of R3D Entertainment, telling me that his company is buying the domain name 3D.com. 

**

Original: I just did a search on the US Patent and Trademark Office website (USPTO.gov) and discovered a trademark filing for “3D.com” for promoting the goods and services of others by providing a website featuring 3D and 3DS images, photos and videos.

R3D Entertainment Incorporated, a company that owns a portfolio of 3D stereoscopic websites specializing in publishing and distributing 3D, is the applicant. 

The application was filed on June 13, 2011, a week after Sedo Broker Ryan Colby tweeted that negotations for the domain 3D.com were heating up.

Although Ryan hasn’t tweeted any updates specifically about 3D.com since June 6, he did recently tweet that a $1,000,000 offer had been made on an undisclosed name.

Now, I could be wrong, but here’s where the story gets strange.

R3D Entertainment, whose company website is located at Definitive3D.com, doesn’t appear to be the current owner of 3D.com, in fact, R3D Entertainment doesn’t even own R3D.com, according to WHOIS records.  If the company can’t afford R3D.com, it most likely doesn’t have the massive amount of cash needed to buy 3D.com.

So, is the company the mystery buyer currently in “heated negotiations” to buy the name?

Or, is Lanny Rutkin of R3D Entertainment, who owns over 1,000 domain names with the word “3D”, trying the same failed smoke and mirrors technique as AOL attempted with its claim on  Ad.com (a domain it doesn’t even own)?

On April 16, 2001, the only existing trademark for 3D.com filed by Chequemate International, was abandoned.

I’ve reached out for comment to Lanny Rutkin and Ryan Colby.  I will update the story, if I hear back.

(Photo of Transformers War for Cybertron via Activision)