Re: Re: Community Input Requested on Trustees’ Intent to Renounce “IETF Secretariat” Trademark

["John Levine" <[e-mail]>]

>> It sounds as if this will open the door to my being able to
>> advertise myself as the IETF Secretariat.  Or even the ITU's being
>> able to.  Yes?

> You could certainly use "Secretariat" but you cannot use "IETF
> Secretariat" without violating the "IETF" trademark.

Secretariat is a generic world, while IETF is made up.  Trademark law
generally allows you to protect a made up word, or a phrase containing
made up words or a combination of generic and made up.

I agree that so long as we maintain a trademark on "IETF" there is
little value in separate registration of phrases, particularly
considering how expensive it is.  The US renewal fee is only $450 but
that still seems like a waste in this case.

By the way, when I go to the WIPO Madrid Protocol web site, it says
that the renewal fee for the EU is CHF2186, about $2500.  Where'd the
$5000 come from?  And did we ever follow up on Japan's rejection of
our application?

R's,
John