Oleg Teterin, a Russian entrepreneur, has gotten trademark approval for the ;-) emoticon, and he intends to cash in on it, says BBC. “Tens of thousands of dollars” will be the fine, but you can continue to use it in your personal IMs.
“I want to highlight that this is only directed at corporations, companies that are trying to make a profit without the permission of the trademark holder,” Mr Teterin said in comments on the Russian TV channel, NTV.
Now, this is most likely just a PR stunt, but even if Teterin is serious, it is highly unlikely that this will hold up. Personally, I find it hilarious, so I’ll use it one more time. I needn’t worry, the Blog Herald’s owner – Splashpress Media – will pick up the tab!
So ;-) to all the readers!
Author: Thord Daniel Hedengren
Thord Daniel Hedengren is a designer, writer, and blogger, and also the former editor of The Blog Herald. He used to be a hotshot in the gaming industry in Sweden, but sold everything and went International. Most recently he wrote a book called Smashing WordPress: Beyond the Blog, and does loads of kickass design.
Uh oh, I use that one all the time. I don’t see how anyone could copyright something like that, and I wonder if his copyright is valid in the U.S., which is where my site is hosted (and where I live).
This is crazy. Or is this what greed looks like?