Nintendo sued over WaraWara Plaza (trademark related)

Veho

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They're basically trying to monopolize a commonplace word in a way that prevents others from ever using it in any combination.
It is exactly as silly as Apple suing a fruit store that sells apples for having a reference to apples in their store name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark_dilution

If you don't file (petty) lawsuits like that one, you are liable to lose the trademark, because an opponent may argue you're not defending it. "Bing" is an onomatopoeia, and "Yahoo" is a shout (and also a kind of bird, and a colloquialism for "big dumb brute"), to name a few examples, and they have been trademarked by the business ventures of the same name. So yes, a commonplace word or expression can be trademarked. There are a lot of people with the last name McDonald out there, but if one of them named his business "McDonald's", there would be trouble. That's how it goes.
 

PolloDiablo

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Hi Nintendo.... I'm a WaraWara
images

gimme my money!
 

Maxternal

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There are a lot of people with the last name McDonald out there, but if one of them named his business "McDonald's", there would be trouble. That's how it goes.
It's interesting that in this country you can't have exclusive rights to a person's name like that. Anyone can name their shop "Joe's Store" without having to do any paperwork about the name. I looked at my receipt after going through McDonald's once and noticed that the company that owns the franchise for all of Costa Rica is actually called "The Golden Arches Company" just to avoid that fact.

/off topic.
 

Mollycule

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They're two very separate things, a virtual home screen's name which you probably wouldn't even care to know, and a name of a restaurant company's line of places. I highly HIGHLY doubt they will be confused at any time.

Most of you are right, they just want to get a hand at Ninty's stockpile of £££.
 
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark_dilution

If you don't file (petty) lawsuits like that one, you are liable to lose the trademark, because an opponent may argue you're not defending it. "Bing" is an onomatopoeia, and "Yahoo" is a shout (and also a kind of bird, and a colloquialism for "big dumb brute"), to name a few examples, and they have been trademarked by the business ventures of the same name. So yes, a commonplace word or expression can be trademarked. There are a lot of people with the last name McDonald out there, but if one of them named his business "McDonald's", there would be trouble. That's how it goes.
Well it shouldn't be that way,
 

wolf-snake

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first this and tomorrow someone is gonna get sued for having a penis. kind of remind me of the guy who sued oreo because the cookies were tasty
 

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