German Company Wants To Protect Its Use Of The '@' Sign: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
from the @hats-and-@fish dept
A little while back, Techdirt wrote about a rather brave French company that tried to trademark the Anonymous logo. Now Der Spiegel is reporting that someone wants a German “wordmark” on the “@” sign (original in German). The company involved has the rather unusual name “@ T.E.L.L.“, where the initials apparently stand for “Tradinghouse for Exclusive Luxury Labels”. Although it’s not really clear what the connection is, it is seeking to protect its use of the @-symbol for various classes of luxury goods (application in German), including the following:
shoes, hats, belts, fish, dried fruit, eggs, milk, coffee, tea, tapioca, bread, sugar, honey, syrups, alcoholic beverages (excluding beer), cigarettes, cigars, cigarette lighters and ashtrays
Despite this limitation to certain luxury items, and despite a press release (pdf in German) emphasizing that the company has no intention of sending out warning letters to people using the @-sign in their email addresses, you do have to wonder how wise it is to hand out control, no matter how circumscribed, over something so fundamental to the working of the modern world.
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and on Google+
Filed Under: @, germany, trademark
Companies: @ t.e.l.l.
Comments on “German Company Wants To Protect Its Use Of The '@' Sign: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”
why not? it’s not as if it isn’t happening on a daily basis. there are certain industries/people that want to handle almost everything to do with the modern world, mostly so as to be able to profit, none to benefit anyone else
What about luxury brands that have twitter accounts?
Banning Twitter in Germany now?
Expect a C&D letter shortly.
@ what point will it no longer be legal to communicate because everything has been “wordmarked”, trademarked, or copyrighted.
Re: Re:
Better brush up on your Newspeak, comrade.
Re: Re: Re:
My Newspeak is ungood.
does that mean that trout @ ?3 each
wold be a trademark violation in Germany?
@fuck off
@
Someone makes luxury ashtrays?
Luxury Basics
What qualifies as luxury eggs and milk?!
Luxury Basics
@eggs and @milk ?
This is somewhat relevant-
http://notinventedhe.re/on/2012-6-13
No, you don’t have to wonder. I know not whether it was through corruption or stupidity that we have ended up with this system of giving businesses control over elements of our language, but it is very obviously unwise.
What kind of asshole do you have to be to use a symbol like @ from the public, and then try and monopolize its use exclusively? Oh I forgot, thats what ALL copyright and patent companies do.
Luxury Basics
Awesome, haha.
And fish? Luxury @fish? WTH?
Today’s Menu
@fish and @chips, @fries, and a side of @unbelievable.
That would be a bloody goldmine. Think about the money you would make suing anyone with an email address. Twice. Let’s not forget that most people will have personal and work email accounts.
Re:
Well, I am very concerned that my company,@-H.O.L.E. might lose luxury cockroach business to these copycats due quickly striding morons.
Re: Re:
Hey, that is infringement!
First, @-H.O.L.E. is sufficiently close to my trademark on A-Whole Goods & Services.
Second, that @ symbol you are using has Apple’s patented rounded corners.
Boy are you in trouble!
well, I have exclusive use of the ‘&’ symbol so anyone using it owes me money.
Re: Re:
That’s okay! I have $ sign.
“…the company has no intention of sending out warning letters to people using the @-sign in their email addresses…”
And you can trust them implicitly. Because nobody ever abuses IP. Especially not the Germans!
Re: Re:
“…the company has no intention of sending out warning letters to people using the @-sign in their email addresses, only to our competitors and those who have money to pay up…”
FTFT
Sounds as sensible as allowing a trademark on the colour purple for various types of confectionery. Oh, wait…
Words
This should really be a red flag to anyone with even half a brain. No individual word, letter, or symbol should be ever be allowed to be monopolized, by anyone. I can’t believe this is even being considered valid or right by this douche company. @eggs?!
Re: Words
Individual words like Nike(TM), Adidas(TM), Microsoft(TM)?
Taking a single char of a name up for trademark is very extreme and should under no circumstances be granted. However, there is a place for trademarked names. The difference between those two situations is pretty much a grey area. Is it enough with 2 chars to achieve a trademark?
Re: Re: Words
Those ‘words’ did not exist before the companies created them. @ is already in use.
Re: Re: Re: Words
The Greeks would disagree with you, assuming the Goddess of Victory didn’t smite you first.
Re: Re: Re:2 Words
Cor, and I’d always assumed she was the greek goddess of training shoes. /sarc
Fun (and not really relevant) Fact
The German word for the symbol @ is “die Klammeraffe”, which roughly translates to “spider-monkey” or “bracket-monkey.”
Re: Fun (and not really relevant) Fact
der Klammeraffe
I want to Trademark the Word “SHITHEAD” .
What could go wrong if I did that ?
Re: Re:
Yeah, you could collect royalties every time you were insulted.
Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL are going to have a very tough legal battle with the German company who use the “@” symbol in their products.
I might as well trademark all 26 letters of the Alphabet and sue all public schools and parents for teaching them without my permission.
Well, Germany is for copyright what Australia is to virtually anything. No offense meant, I love seeing that upside down landscape!