Trade Mark Direct (trademarkdirect.co.uk), the leading UK trade mark company, is advising companies not to rush into buying the new .xxx adult entertainment industry domain name, which launched this week, because for many it will be a needless expense.    The new domain name is designed to incorporate heightened security barriers and protect young people from accessing unsuitable material online.  “While it is possible to buy your company’s .xxx domain name for a one-off fee (around $200 to $300) there is probably no need for most companies to consider this,” said Mark Kingsley-Williams, director at Trade Mark Direct.  “We doubt that too many adult sites would want to call themselves www.rotherhamwastedisposal.xxx , although if you do sell soft toys through a site called  www.fluffybunny.co.uk , perhaps you might want to consider claiming the .xxx  domain. “However  Search engines’  filtering mechanisms do mean that the .xxx sites will be c...

 It was once an insult used to ridicule computer experts.  Now the term ‘geek’ is a highly-sought after trademark term, which appears to have transcended parody and now denotes knowledge, learning and expertise…..Well, according to US electronics giant, Best Buy, it does.  Best Buy claims to own the word 'geek' and is vigilant in stopping any uses that it feels infringes its ‘Geek Squad’ trade mark.  Best Buy's founder Robert Stephens argues that companies risk losing large disputes if they don't pursue minor cases.   Amusingly, he told the Wall Street Journal recently that he had allowed several school chess clubs to call themselves 'geek squads.' Under trade mark law, you must prove that other uses are likely to cause confusion in the marketplace.  The first stage in any dispute is a ‘Cease and Desist’ order or request to halt an activity (cease) and not to take it up again later (desist); or else face legal action. While it’s important to protect yo...