DirecTV trademarks the term, "4K" .. what say you, RED Legal team?

[Anthony Luca]

beware they are hijacking the "4K" trademark... http://sportsvideo.org/main/blog/2013/06/20/4k-for-all-help-prevent-directv-from-trademarking-4k/

 

[Louis Maddalena]

This is ridiculous. This isn't even a RED issue, this is an entire industry issue. They should not be allowed to trademark the name of a standard that is used by all of the cinema industry.

 

[Mike P.]

Does someone own "1080p"... If not, I'm going to the copyright office right now.

Also is it "4k" or "4K" with a capital "k"? Also, is it part of a logo?

 

[Matt Gottshalk]

This is ridiculous. This isn't even a RED issue, this is an entire industry issue. They should not be allowed to trademark the name of a standard that is used by all of the cinema industry.

Tell that to Litepanels.

 

[Björn Benckert]

I will trade mark XK that will be the shit in a couple of years

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Tell that to Litepanels.

That's a patent issue, not a trademark one.

If people don't want this to happen, then they need to contest DirecTV's application with the USPTO before it is approved. Because, frankly and unfortunately, the USPTO sucks. They tend to grant trademarks without care for industry jargon, accepted identifiers or any such establishments. They simply check for a conflict and if none are found, they approve. Once it's approved, even if it's bullshit, it's very difficult to fight.

That said, from what I can tell, DirecTV actually may have a legit claim here and might actually pull this off. They are not looking for a broad-sweeping "4K" trademark. They are looking to trademark "4K" for use with the broadcast of sporting events. "4K" as we all think of it is a digital cinema / DCP specification. 4K has become an industry buzzword to represent something it's not (3.8K Ultra High Definition) and it's totally over-used and improperly used. If DirecTV secures the "4K" trademark for use on sports broadcasts, the more power to them. I think it's pretty stupid, but that's just me.

 

[Joel Arvidsson]

Still funny that uhd 4k isnt 4k anyway...

 

[Gavin Greenwalt]

This is almsost as rediculous as patenting a the idea of a camera with more than 2,000 horizontal pixels!

 

[Anthony Luca]

That said, from what I can tell, DirecTV actually may have a legit claim here and might actually pull this off. They are not looking for a broad-sweeping "4K" trademark. They are looking to trademark "4K" for use with the broadcast of sporting events. "4K" as we all think of it is a digital cinema / DCP specification. 4K has become an industry buzzword to represent something it's not (3.8K Ultra High Definition) and it's totally over-used and improperly used. If DirecTV secures the "4K" trademark for use on sports broadcasts, the more power to them. I think it's pretty stupid, but that's just me.

Jeff, we reviewed DirecTV's application filing, and it seems broad sweeping...

The applicant, DIRECTV, LLC, a limited liability company legally organized under the laws of California, having an address of
2230 East Imperial Hwy
El Segundo, California 90245
United States


requests registration of the trademark/service mark identified above in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on the Principal Register established by the Act of July 5, 1946 (15 U.S.C. Section 1051 et seq.), as amended, for the following:

International Class 038: Satellite television broadcasting; satellite transmission services; broadcasting programs via global computer network; video-on-demand television transmission services; streaming of audio and video content via the Internet, other computer networks, wireless networks and electronic communication networks;
Intent to Use: The applicant has a bona fide intention to use or use through the applicant's related company or licensee the mark in commerce on or in connection with the identified goods and/or services. (15 U.S.C. Section 1051(b)).

International Class 041: Distribution of television programs for others; Television programming; Programming on a global computer network; Pay-per-view television programming; Video-on-demand television programming; production and distribution of television programs; providing on-line interactive computer databases featuring television programming lists, and schedules; providing on-line interactive computer databases featuring information about television shows, movies and other digital images, audio, video and other multimedia content, all in the field of entertainment; providing a website featuring information about television programming
Intent to Use: The applicant has a bona fide intention to use or use through the applicant's related company or licensee the mark in commerce on or in connection with the identified goods and/or services. (15 U.S.C. Section 1051(b)).

http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn85856740&docId=APP20130225072740#docIndex=3&page=1



Also --

one of the largest gaming companies in the world has trademarked, "4K" .... a broad sweeping usage, not just games

http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4803:uknztw.2.3

 

[L. Langer]

In other news, the first 4K @ 60fps/100 Mbps satellite broadcast network test conducted this week was a complete success.

 

[Anthony Luca]

This is ridiculous. This isn't even a RED issue, this is an entire industry issue. They should not be allowed to trademark the name of a standard that is used by all of the cinema industry.

agreed