If you’re thinking of setting up a new business with any combination of the words “my” “place” or “space” in the name of it, be aware that MySpace will most likely file against you at the US Patent and Trademark Office.
And remember, MySpace lawyers are News Corp. lawyers, and the battle isn’t going to be fun.
MySpace has filed opposition to about a dozen companies since December 2005 who dared use those words – regardless of apparent chance for confusion.
On the social networking giant’s s-list are MyPages.com, CareerSpace, MyCarsSpace.com, LawSpace, My Phone Space, My Closing Space, Renovate My Space, SkyPlace, I-Space, and MyWakeSpace.com.
But MySpace especially doesn’t like See Beyond, Ltd., filing twice against the company over the MySpace mark itself, to which See Beyond has answered with two filings of its own.
MySpace has averaged nearly one filing per month since the end of 2005, an aggressive run against competitors. One wonders if the Fox Interactive Media–owned social network site isn’t a little too aggressive considering its targets.
While some, like MyCarsSpace or the others with similar variation seem fairly obvious, it would seem hard to justify that properties like LawSpace, CareerSpace, MyPages, and especially I-Space (either a Chicago museum or an outsourcing company) and SkyPlace (top results on Google bring back a Thailand-based hotel) would cause confusion with the MySpace brand.
It seems a bit heavy handed for MySpace to assume it has exclusive ownership of generic words like “space” and “place.”
