PATENT APPEAL: Nike lost a U.S. Supreme Court appeal
"aimed at giving brand-name manufacturers more power to win
big damages from companies that sell look-alike versions of
popular products." The lower court ruling "hurts apparel
makers ... and other owners of product-design patents." But
the appeals court said that infringers "can keep some of the
profits they made if the products they copied weren't all
marked with the patent number" (BLOOMBERG, 10/13).
REVERSE THE CURSE? In Boston, Greg Gatlin writes that
MLB licensee Pro Player is ready to make various hot market
products around the ALCS. Pro Player Marketing Dir Mike
Martin will be watching the series "to see what might make a
good T-shirt": "We'll tap into the nuance of the event as it
happens." Noting Roger Clemens' return to Fenway for Game
Three, Martin said, "We're working on Clemens stuff right
now. We might come up with an idea, and try to turn (it)
around in less than a day" (BOSTON HERALD, 10/13)....The
Indians have retained IL-based Scarborough Sports Marketing
and will gain access to Scarborough's information on
Cleveland-area fans and consumers (Scarborough).
A CLASSIC YARN: In Atlanta, Henry Unger writes that
Coca-Cola's "Always Coca-Cola" campaign "may give way" to
the new "Enjoy Coca-Cola Classic" theme that "could debut"
January 1 (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 10/13). The WALL STREET
JOURNAL's Betsy McKay reports that starting in January,
Coca-Cola Classic "will sport a new label featuring the same
iconic contour bottle -- but with the cap off and soda
fizzling out" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/13). CNBC's Garrett
Glaser reported on other changes at Coca-Cola, including "a
new ad campaign breaking during the Super Bowl, with year
2000 ad spending up twenty percent" (CNBC, 10/12).
NOTES: In Buffalo, Sharon Linstedt profiled Buffalo-
based Delaware North, which has sold over 11 million logoed
souvenir cups and mugs this year "at the growing stable of
sports venues, parks and airports it serves." Delaware
North Dir of Support Programs Kevin Drayer: "The response
has been just terrific. Every time we introduce a new cup
or mug, there's a spike in sales" (BUFFALO NEWS, 10/8).
....Spending for "NBA Tipoff '99," the joint marketing
campaign between the league and Turner Broadcasting, is
"estimated at" $1.5M, including the value of time on Turner
networks like TBS and TNT and ad space in Time publications
like SI (N.Y. TIMES, 10/13)....FUBU is profiled by AD AGE's
Mercedes Cardona as a "Brand In Demand." The $350M company
is planning a chain of FUBU stores, "with a Manhattan
flagship due in spring." The company "eventually plans to
open" 30 worldwide (AD AGE, 10/11 issue).
