Archive for the ‘Trademark’ Category

From Law.com Legal Blog Watch
Posted by Carolyn Elefant on August 5, 2009 at 04:20 PM

Dewey, Cheatem & Howe Makes Appearance in Loan Fraud Case

“Do we cheat them, and how!” may have been the motto of the two former Mitsubishi dealership employees recently sentenced to prison for a massive fraud in which unsophisticated customers with poor credit were extended usurious car loans they had no hope of repaying. But the employees could have been a bit more subtle about their intentions.

According to the New Haven Independent, Richard Dominguez, one of the salesman who accepted a plea, interviewed a customer for a car loan who told him she was unemployed. Ever resourceful, Dominguez filled out a credit application, listing her employer as “DEWEY CHITAM & HOWE,” and claiming a monthly gross salary of $3,500 per month for a position in “management.” Based on this information on the credit application, Mitsubishi Credit extended financing to Matthews to purchase her car.

Comment posted by Gerry Elman
August 07, 2009 at 01:29 AM:

Aw, c’mon. The guy had just slightly misspelled the name of the production company for the Car Talk show on National Public Radio. From the Car Talk website: “Cartalk.com is a production of Dewey, Cheetham and Howe. Contents © 2009, Dewey, Cheetham and Howe. CAR TALK, DEWEY, CHEETHAM & HOWE, SHAMELESS COMMERCE, and WARPED DISCS are registered trademarks, and CLICK AND CLACK is a trademark, of Tom and Ray Magliozzi and/or Tappet Brothers Associates d/b/a Dewey, Cheetham & Howe.”

But waitaminit … looks like the salesman might be in trouble for a bit of trademark infringement. Why? Because DEWEY CHITAM & HOWE is confusingly similar to the registered trademark DEWEY, CHEETHAM & HOWE, and, shucks, in some way they both relate to, of all things, CARS.

This is an American Intellectual Property Law Ass’n (AIPLA) Action Alert: Help Confirm David Kappos as Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

“As an IP professional, you know that we need consistent and stable leadership at the USPTO.  The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to consider the nomination tomorrow and the entire U.S. Senate will hopefully be voting on David Kappos’ nomination as the next USPTO Director this week, but they may not.  We’re reaching out to you to contact your Senator to urge the Senate to vote THIS WEEK on the nomination before they recess for the summer.