Frustrated Trademark Attorney Examines Frustrated Marks

Sometimes being a trademark lawyer can be frustrating.  Sometimes just being a human can be frustrating!  Several USPTO trademark registration applicants apparently thought frustration was such a common feeling they sought to protect brands with the root term “frustrate.”  There are a total of 51 frustration applications or registrations.  Here are the best of the 22 LIVE PTO records:

FRUSTRATION BRICK for “novelty items, namely, foam rubber objects having the configuration of bricks.”

G.O.L.F GREATEST OF LIFE’S FRUSTRATIONS for “printed materials, namely, golf humor books, pictures, photographs, color art and photographic prints, plating cards, greeting cards, stationary, calendars and cartoon prints.”  I don’t play golf (I am nowhere near that patient), but I live in small town that has two golf courses – you could say golf is a pretty big deal around here, but that would be a vast understatement.

FRUSTRATED MARRIED GUY for “entertainment in the nature of live performances by a comedian.”

TECHNOLOGY FRUSTRATION REMEDIATION for “Computer services, namely, on-site and remote computer setup, namely, installation of computer software, computer configuration, namely, configuration of productivity applications, security applications, utilities, and communication applications, and computer problem solving, namely, troubleshooting in the nature of diagnosing computer hardware and software problems.”  Boy, can I relate, though I like my IT guy’s mark even better: Techtastic!

THE FRUSTRATED CFO for “polo shirts, sweat shirts and t-shirts.”  Ironically, this company is located in NYC near Wall Street, the source of many CFO’s and most other American’s frustration.

And then there’s my favorite DEAD frustration application, this one:

The goods/services offered under this mark were described as, “talking points and subjects for sales training programs, self-help instructional programs, personal development training and coaching programs, speeches and instructional presentations used by the applicant.”  The applicant probably felt pretty frustrated after wasting the $325 filing fee.  Maybe he wishes he retained counsel rather than engaging in self-help trademark filing.

We are united by the common experiences we share, including feeling frustration.  Positive emotive brands often are successful.  While I doubt negative emotive brands have the same effect, I bet there’s a sizable market for Frustration Bricks.