2.21.2006
Protecting NASA's Trademarks
Trademark law gurus, your space agency needs you. (Via SpaceRef)
This NASA HQ solicitation for trademark services (posted Feb. 17) does not specify the marks with which NASA needs help but indicates the work is to include: filing and prosecuting of trademark applications including renewals, preparing amendments, briefs, appeals, requests, oppositions, petitions to cancel, and other documents as needed; conducting trademark and service mark searches, registration, use, and infringement opinions; monitoring trademark activities world-wide and in the US; notifying NASA of any trademark problems or concerns such as the potential trademark infringement of NASA trademarks.
Filings will be in the US as well as Australia, Germany, South Africa, Canada, Japan, South Korea, the EC, Mexico, UK, France and Switzerland.
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(I just recently happened upon some interesting regs -- 14 CFR Section 1221.1, sets forth the policy governing the use of the NASA seal, insignia, logotype, program identifiers, and flags.
Also see the NASA Graphic Standards WWW Manual, the "comprehensive guide for the correct use of the Agency identification within and outside the Agency."
I also can't help but think of the notorious NASA worm eradication, courtesy of former administrator Dan Goldin who went on a wiggly mission to delete the old NASA worm logo. Via NASA Watch.
By the way, trademarks aside, some of NASA's would-be intellectual property the agency is happy to share freely -- basically, it's all the cool stuff: "NASA still images, audio files and video generally are not copyrighted. You may use NASA imagery, video and audio material for educational or informational purposes, including photo collections, textbooks, public exhibits and Internet Web pages." And we do.)
This NASA HQ solicitation for trademark services (posted Feb. 17) does not specify the marks with which NASA needs help but indicates the work is to include: filing and prosecuting of trademark applications including renewals, preparing amendments, briefs, appeals, requests, oppositions, petitions to cancel, and other documents as needed; conducting trademark and service mark searches, registration, use, and infringement opinions; monitoring trademark activities world-wide and in the US; notifying NASA of any trademark problems or concerns such as the potential trademark infringement of NASA trademarks.
Filings will be in the US as well as Australia, Germany, South Africa, Canada, Japan, South Korea, the EC, Mexico, UK, France and Switzerland.
* * *
(I just recently happened upon some interesting regs -- 14 CFR Section 1221.1, sets forth the policy governing the use of the NASA seal, insignia, logotype, program identifiers, and flags.
Also see the NASA Graphic Standards WWW Manual, the "comprehensive guide for the correct use of the Agency identification within and outside the Agency."
I also can't help but think of the notorious NASA worm eradication, courtesy of former administrator Dan Goldin who went on a wiggly mission to delete the old NASA worm logo. Via NASA Watch.
By the way, trademarks aside, some of NASA's would-be intellectual property the agency is happy to share freely -- basically, it's all the cool stuff: "NASA still images, audio files and video generally are not copyrighted. You may use NASA imagery, video and audio material for educational or informational purposes, including photo collections, textbooks, public exhibits and Internet Web pages." And we do.)
