I remember, when I started working on the monthly Marvel catalog, we had two documents each month to send to distributors/retailers.
One was called the Marvel Order Form. That was the catalog.
The other was called the Marvel Ordering Form. That was the order form that accounts filled out.
Every conversation ever about the two of them involved saying, several times, "I mean the Ordering Form, not the Order Form..."
So I asked, "Can I change the name of the Order Form to 'The Marvel Catalog'? And the Ordering Form to "The Order Form'?"
I got a "Holy shit why did no one do this before" look, and from then on it was much easier to tell what we were referring to.
Within a year or so after I left, the Catalog was renamed SALES TO ASTONISH and numbered to make it collectible. I thought that was cute, but goddamnit, call it a catalog! You're selling comics, not selling the catalog.
Anyway, yeah, I get you on that WEIRD MYSTERY TALES thing. Any time a publisher does a TM-saver title like that, I want to ask them, "Is this a title worth protecting, or are you going to wind up selling fewer copies just so you can use an old title?"
I remember, when I started working on the monthly Marvel catalog, we had two documents each month to send to distributors/retailers.
One was called the Marvel Order Form. That was the catalog.
The other was called the Marvel Ordering Form. That was the order form that accounts filled out.
Every conversation ever about the two of them involved saying, several times, "I mean the Ordering Form, not the Order Form..."
So I asked, "Can I change the name of the Order Form to 'The Marvel Catalog'? And the Ordering Form to "The Order Form'?"
I got a "Holy shit why did no one do this before" look, and from then on it was much easier to tell what we were referring to.
Within a year or so after I left, the Catalog was renamed SALES TO ASTONISH and numbered to make it collectible. I thought that was cute, but goddamnit, call it a catalog! You're selling comics, not selling the catalog.
Anyway, yeah, I get you on that WEIRD MYSTERY TALES thing. Any time a publisher does a TM-saver title like that, I want to ask them, "Is this a title worth protecting, or are you going to wind up selling fewer copies just so you can use an old title?"
kdb
The only time I thought a trademark was worth protecting was when we threw Star-Lord on the back cover of Marvel Age.