Cannot use the word RED?

[Robin Moran]

Hi,

I see a lot of rental companies changing their name from some variant / combination of the word RED (such as CineRed) to something else. Heard a rumour that they are not allowed to use it because of a clause from RED. Is that true?

 

[Paul Ellington]

Yes big no-no.

 

[Robin Moran]

Ok then. There goes my idea for rebranding to Redrum. Thanks Paul

 

[Christopher Barrett]

Crimson Camera?
Ruby Rentals?
Burgundy Boys Big Box of Broadcast & Big Screen Sundries?

Is a rose by any other name just as RED?





Sorry. Up late grading. Need coffee.

 

[Joseph Hutson]

Redrum? I personally don't see that as a problem. What RED does is make sure that their brand is maintained. When people begin to create business names like "Red Rentals", it gives te impression that they are officially associated with the real RED and not one who just uses the product.

What does "Redrum" mean to you, Robin? It doesn't make me think of RED or their services in the slightest sense.

 

[Paul Ellington]

Ok then. There goes my idea for rebranding to Redrum. Thanks Paul

Call your rep. You might be ok but best to ask.

 

[Mark Toia]

Cinered... I cant see any conflict at all. They are a good company as well, i use them all the time when Im shooting in Jakarta.

Now if they called them selves RED DIGTIAL CINEMA rentals... that wouldn't fly

At the end of the day, US trade mark lawyers will have a very very tough time trying to sue anyone in Indonesia using the word CINERED... That would be a nice big waste of money.

Here is the do not use list... I cannot see the word CINERED® in there..

RED®, RED CAMERA®, RED EPIC®, SCARLET™, RED ONE®, REDRAY™, MYSTERIUM®, MYSTERIUM X®, R3D®, REDCODE®, REDMOTE® and all other trademarks, service marks, trade names logos, and product names of RED used on this site are trademarks or registered trademarks of Red.com, Inc. in the USA and other countries.

 

[Mark Toia]

[h=3]2 minutes of research... Its endless

http://www.joinred.com/red/[/h]
http://redmusiconline.com/
http://www.red-themovie.com/
http://www.redonline.co.uk/
http://www.reddrivingschool.com/
http://www.reddirect.co.uk
http://www.redhat.com/
http://www.redmusic.com/
http://www.redbull.com
http://www.redcross.org/
http://www.redphotography.com/

I think CINERED are safe...

 

[Meryem Ersoz]

I know another camera owner/operator who already uses Redrum, though, so you might want to reconsider anyway, to distinguish your brand.

 

[Mike Tiffee]

I have a catch-all for my email account so "anything"@myemailaddress.com will reach me. When I deal with businesses online I always use the company name as my email address when registering, ie: amazon@myemailaddress.com or redrockmicro@myemailaddress.com.. I got an email from my bomb squad rep saying that the email in my account, red@myemailaddress.com was in violation of their trademark. I had to explain that that email account doesn't actually exist so there's really no way to delete it, it's simply how RED emails me. Nor is that an email address that I publish, share or advertise. RED is certainly strict on usage of the word RED. I wonder if in 50 years we'll be able to use any color or fruit without violating somebodies trademark, lol.

I do this so I can keep track of where spam is coming from. If I start getting spam sent to my email account addressed to sears@myemailaddress.com, I can only assume that SEARS has sold my account to a marketer. It's also easy to then block sears@myemailaddress.com on my server for easier spam filtering. You'd be surprised what companies are sharing your email address with marketers.

 

[Panos Bournias]

Redrum? I personally don't see that as a problem. What RED does is make sure that their brand is maintained. When people begin to create business names like "Red Rentals", it gives te impression that they are officially associated with the real RED and not one who just uses the product.

What does "Redrum" mean to you, Robin? It doesn't make me think of RED or their services in the slightest sense.

Redrum=murder: The Shinning Not really red services... he he...

 

[Mike 'Fireman' Ross]

...I got an email from my bomb squad rep saying that the email in my account, red@myemailaddress.com was in violation of their trademark...

That is possibly the stupidest piece of trademark BS I have heard in a long time.

Mike

 

[Justin Marx]

The trademark is most likely "anything relating to cameras or digital media, rentals,sales can not be RED" any other company should have no problems at all.. Trademarks are very specific and extremely hard to get.. If you sold RED STUFFED ANIMALS, yuu should have no problem at all..

 

[Keegan@Netflix]

If you have questions or concerns about certain website domain names, company names, RED content on websites contact your Bomb Squad Rep. We have a task force that works with our legal team on these types of things. We understand customers are enthusiastic about RED but we need to be sure we protect our brand.

 

[Ivan Cortazar]

What does "Redrum" mean to you, Robin?.

I guess this is what Redrum means to me... Scarry...

Couldn't help it

 

[Bill Goehring]

The Shinning

The "Shinning"? That's the Nancy Kerrigan story, isn't it?

 

[Bill Goehring]

Obviously the result of the Nancy Kerrigan shin attack...

 

[Martin Whittier]

Honestly while I agree with Red needing to protect their brand, they will have a tough time with many instances of infringement simply for the fact their name is so generic and common. Had they chose something more unique like Kodak, they would have an easier time. Another company at the real extreme of this is Apple who has been known for attacking any company that uses even samples of their product names for instance an iPhone stand called "Podium" because it contains "pod"

 

[Andy Roberts]

When I was creating a domain for renting my Epic X -- www.IndieCameraRentals.com, I emailed this question to Jarred:

"Am I correct in assuming that it is Red's stance that any Red trademark (Red, Epic, Scarlet, HDRx) not be used in a domain name?
I see examples of Red in the domain name frequently, where the website disclaims any official affiliation with Red. Is that allowed or no?
From an SEO standpoint for renting it would help, but I want to respect your official position."

Here was the response I got from Red's legal team:
"Please be advised that our office is legal counsel for RED. I was forwarded your email, below, and asked to respond. RED, as the owner of numerous trademarks, vigilantly protects its brand, which includes its trademarks. No one is authorized to use RED’s trademarks in any company or domain name, especially when selling RED products, without express written permission from RED. And, it is not RED’s habit to grant permission. A simple disclaimer does not solve that problem. RED wants others to build brand equity in themselves, rather than free riding on RED’s branding efforts."

-----

So I created a domain name that doesn't use the name. But I do find it a bummer that others out there are using it and benefiting in Google searches and the like. But such is life.

They also told me that DSMC was off limits as well. I had purchased several DSMC related domains before I knew that, so I'm not using them :embarassed:

 

[Terry VerHaar]

Don't let's forget that trademarks are restricted to certain relevant industries/products. Apple was originally allowed the name and the trademark, although The Beatles already had the name/trademark in the music business. Apple Computer's use was legal as long as they stayed out of the music business. Of course, we all know what happened when the iPod and iTunes came around and it was a long drawn out negotiation between the two entities before the challenge to Apple (the electronics company) was settled.

Like someone said previously, if you want to start a yogurt company called Red Mango, you can. Oh, wait, that's already been done. :wink5: