Mr. Shue wouldn’t be too pleased about this: Lawrence Robins of Sullivan & Worcester explains that 20th Century Fox Corp. was ordered by a U.K. judge to change the name of its television show “Glee” as it infringes on the name of a chain of British comedy clubs, “The Glee Club.” The rationale relied on by the judge was the doctrine of “reverse confusion,” which means the less-popular brand’s business would become associated with the better-known one, explained Robins.
Similarly, Pinterest lost a case in Europe when it opposed the trademark Pinterest in the EU, as the social network was “unable to prove … that its PINTEREST mark had sufficient ‘local significance’ in the U.K.,” explained Robins.
