Curtis73 (Forum Supporter)
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
2/6/24 3:20 p.m.

... Or at least use a trademarked name without running afoul of the owner

For 30 years now, my nickname has been Kraft, named after Kurtis Kraft racing cars of the 30s-60s.  I was in hotrodding and customization, and it just kinda rolled off the tongue.  I am nowhere near the point of going LLC, but I'm getting into racing more, and still into customizing, and I'd love to start thinking about a brand/image in case I decide to make it a monetary venture.  I don't think that will happen, at least not on a scale that would perk up any Kraft ears, but this is more an exercise of "what if."

Some trademarked names don't care, like Argo laundry starch doesn't care about the 6-wheeled amphibious ATV named Argo because there is so little chance for confusion.  Dawn dish soap doesn't care about Dawn conversion vans.

But Kraft?  A quick google search shows dozens of lawsuits, one of which includes Kraft Foods suing Mars/M&M because Kraft makes a candy in Sweden called "M's."  That's kinda fearless.  Let's take our obscure candy from Sweden and sue M&M.

There are only so many names out there.  How many S.C. Johnsons are on the planet?  How many Proctors or Gambles?  What if Jane Q. Miller-Pabst wants to start a brewing company?

 

sounds kinda cheesy to me

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter)
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
2/6/24 3:51 p.m.
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

sounds kinda cheesy to me

My company is only for

But definitely not for just...

That would be exclusionary and racist

camopaint0707
camopaint0707 Reader
2/7/24 6:51 a.m.
Ian F (Forum Supporter)
Ian F (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
2/7/24 7:36 a.m.

From my understanding, context means a lot when it comes to trademark protection.  If you were to do something involved with food, using "Kraft" in the name will almost certainly earn you a letter from their lawyers.  But doing a quick search of "Kraft" outside of the food industry brings up numerous results not involving cheese. 

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