if you use the brown bag and one color print, you can advertise you're helping the environment by using less material (dyes, paper, etc). I think especially in the bay area, that will bode well, and how the coffee industry has been in the last few years (fair trade, environmentally friendly and all)

 

That's not even trademarked...I don't think, don't see it anywhere on the bag. you can search on uspto.gov

 

I don't like common grounds...too many coffee/cafes with the word "grounds" in it

If you use a name without the word coffee in it, make sure you develop a subhead/slogan that has the word coffee in it, so people know what it is

 

I like brown bag

 

I vote for this or something equally simple, but easy to remember. I like the slogan too. Do check for copyright on the Bloomies bags.

"Jumping Java" came to mind, but when I Googled it the list was endless.

Do you want a name that will tie you to an area, or something that could work anywhere in the world?

 

PLAIN WRAP
Coffee Company

Less hype, more beans!!

-Then put an extra half ounce into each bag or something...

 

Okay, I tried researching a bit in the trademark website, and did come across a few TM's for Brown Bag. Most were for random things that have nothing to do with coffee although there is (was) a Brown Bag Coffee Company, but it says it was cancelled five years ago. This means it can still be used, correct?

Also, I tried looking around the patent website, but does anybody know how much it costs to tradmark a slogan/company-name?


I like the Plain Wrap idea. Maybe, Bare Roast? (Bare Bag, get it!)

 

As long as its not "live" you can use it is my understanding. I work in marketing, and have to search for trademarks often, and that was my understanding (also the practice of my boss). I don't know how much it costs to register trademark something, but it seems that many comanies loosely use "TM" everywhere, but ® is typically actutally registered

 

You can use an unofficial tademark by....

say you wrote/performed/produced a song. And then someone stole it. You could prove it was yours with an "unofficial" trademark by a postage package. Though this is harder to prove, that's how somepeople do it. You send your "TM'd item" to someone you know. In your case it may be a relative.

As far as the Brown Bag Coffee Co. that went under. You will have to see when they got the TM, as I believe no matter the company's standing, the TM lives for 15 years I believe. That you will have to look up under trademark laws.

Hope that helps.

 

Okay, so here's another little tricky thing: if a little drive-thru coffee shop has a name I'm interested in using, could I still use it under a roasting label?

For example, Caffinity is a small (poorly done) coffee shop in the middle of nowhere Oregon. Now, when I check the TM database, there's nothing about Caffinity that's trademarked.

So would that work? I kinda like this name, as it doesn't have as many potential stipulations as the Little Brown Bag Coffee Company.


As for the Brown Bag Coffee Co, it was registered in 1993, approved in 1994 and then cancelled in 2002. Does this make it available?

 

If it was canceled, I believe so.

I don't know about your tricky thing, but I would assume it to be true. See if a trademark/copyright lawyer (or any other lawyer) will give you some free consultation on this.

 

Once you have thought of the name PM owlboogie for the logo. He is really good.

 

^ Will do! I actually have a lawyer friend I'm gonna go and talk to in reagards to tradmark stipulations and such...