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Mast-Jägermeister on Thursday "filed a formal opposition to the registration of the new-look Bucks logo with Trademark Trial and Appeal Board at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office," according to Bruce Vielmetti of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. The company "contends it 'has established exclusive rights in the Deer Head Marks through use in commerce in the United States' going back" to '68, and "cites a litany of reasons to oppose registration for the Bucks, including a likelihood that people might confuse the two companies, or believe they are connected or affiliated." Both logos "feature forward-looking deer with large antlers, inside a circle or partial circle, in about the same proportions." Vielmetti noted the fourth generation of the Bucks' logo, "looks serious, if not angry." The Jäger "stag" has a "blank look, under a cross that hovers over his head." The filing "doesn't stop the Bucks from using its deer logo; that would require a federal lawsuit seeking an injunction." Milwaukee-based law firm Michael Best & Friedrich Partner Katrina Hull said that "sometimes parties use the less formal, less costly procedures at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to leverage negotiated settlements of trademark disputes" (
MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 12/10).
