Romance writer ignites copyright war after securing ownership of the word ‘cocky’; New York Daily News, May 10, 2018

Leonard Greene, New York Daily News; Romance writer ignites copyright war after securing ownership of the word ‘cocky’

[Kip Currier: Another "teachable moment" about confusion between copyrights and trademarks...The article writer repeatedly talks about "copyright", though this is clearly a trademark issue.

A tip-off too is when the reporter says people are petitioning the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the copyright: the U.S. Copyright Office--as the eponymous name helpfully telegraphs--handles copyrights.]

"Faleena Hopkins, author of "Cocky Cowboy," "Cocky Soldier," "Cocky Biker" and "Cocky Brothers" insists she's not being full of herself by cornering the market on cocky.

She says she's just protecting her brand.

"I receive letters from readers who lost money thinking they bought my series," Hopkins tweeted after the cocky copyright clash. "I'm protecting them and that's what trademarks are meant for...

In the meantime, more than 20,000 people have signed a petition to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office asking it to cancel the "cocky" copyright."

Two Phillies had their nickname jerseys denied because of copyright issue; CSNPhilly.com, August 11, 2017

Josh Ellis, CSNPhilly.com; Two Phillies had their nickname jerseys denied because of copyright issue

[Kip Currier: Trademark law is the issue with the nicknames; not copyright law.]

"According to Matt Breen of Philly.com, two players, Zach Eflin and Hoby Milner had their nickname requests denied due to trouble with copyrights. Eflin was hoping to be known as “Led Zeflin” and Milner wanted to use the Force as “Hoby Wan Kenobi.”

Neither player was listed on the Phillies.com article displaying the nicknames the players on the team selected."

Michael Jordan wins a tough copyright case in China; Associated Press via CBS News, 12/8/16

Associated Press via CBS News; Michael Jordan wins a tough copyright case in China:

[Kip Currier: This article is another example of confusion of trademark with copyright. It's clearly a trademark case from the facts: the dispute hinges on ownership rights to Michael Jordan's name, which is a trademark issue governed by trademark laws. But notice the headline "...tough copyright case..." and back-and-forth mentions of trademark and copyright.]

"Basketball legend Michael Jordan now owns his Chinese name, after China’s highest court sided with him Thursday following a years-long legal battle over a trademark dispute.

The former NBA star has fought a Chinese sportswear maker since 2012 over the name “Qiaodan,” pronounced “CHEEOW-dan,” the transliteration of “Jordan” in Mandarin.

Qiaodan Sports, a company based in southern China, had registered the trademark under which it was selling its own shoes and sportswear...

The case reflects the difficulties foreign individuals and companies face in protecting their copyrights in China, where domestic firms have long taken a cavalier attitude toward intellectual property."