On a recent episode of ‘My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding’ that aired in the U.S., we happened to notice that a UK-based “Gypsy” was wearing a Franklin & Marshall t-shirt. To Americans, Franklin & Marshall College is a private liberal arts school located in Lancaster, PA. How, we wondered, did one of the school’s t-shirts end up on a woman across the Atlantic Ocean who happened to be featured in the TV series?

Call it serendipity, but we got an answer just yesterday when ESPN.com columnist Paul Lukas wrote about the very interesting story of how the name of a relatively small U.S. college became a European fashion brand.

According to Lukas’ post, it all began when two Italian designers, Giuseppe Albarelli and Andrea Pensiero, found a Franklin & Marshall (F&M) sweatshirt at a vintage shop back in 1999. They thought it captured that American “varsity” feel and decided to make it the basis of their clothing company, which they called … Franklin & Marshall.

F&M alumni traveling in Europe began noticing the merchandise and contacted the school to ask if some new exchange programs were in place, or whether a licensing deal had been struck. And, lots of people noticed the t-shirts after country singer Tim McGraw posed wearing one in a photo shoot.

No deal was in place, but instead of issuing a cease-and-desist letter, the school decided to focus on the positive aspects of building a relationship and hammered out a deal with the fashion company. Now the Franklin & Marshall merchandise tags include info about the school and the Italian fashion company has even done some photo shoots on the college campus. “We’re fortunate to have this relationship that essentially promotes Franklin & Marshall around the world,” said Cass Cliatt, the school’s vice president for communications. “It helps to elevate our profile.”

Can you think of any other clothing brands that have an intriguing origin and a positive outcome?

After the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a lower court decision that prevented Pernod Ricard, from renewing its Havana Club trademark registration, the French liquor company announced that it will launch a Cuban rum in the U.S. under a new name — Havanista — if the embargo on Cuban-made goods is lifted. Here’s the Havanista character mark registration record from Corsearch^® Advantage™:

Now for the back story: Pernod Havana Club rum is made in Cuba and due to the U.S. embargo on Cuban exports, the company is not allowed to sell it in the States. The Cuban-made rum has been distributed internationally since 1993, through Pernod’s partnership with Cubaexport. Enter Bacardi — who adopted the name Havana Club for its rum, which happens to be produced in … Puerto Rico … and is sold in the U.S.

And, in a separate case, a federal appeals court ruled against a Pernod claim that consumers could be confused that Bacardi’s Havana Club rum was made in Cuba due to the fact that the label says it is made in Puerto Rico.

Reportedly, Pernod had hoped to hold on to the Havana Club trademark in the event that the U.S. embargo on Cuban-made goods was lifted. However, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control refused to renew Cubaexport’s Havana Club trademark, based on a 1998 law (“Section 211”) making marks confiscated by the Cuban government unenforceable. A federal appeals court in Washington upheld the decision and it was reaffirmed in this week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision.

What’s your favorite rum cocktail?

Basketball fans, as the National Basketball Association semifinals heat up, we’ve got a trademark update on the new Brooklyn Nets logos. We wrote back in December 2010 that there were four trademark applications filed for the name “Brooklyn New Yorkers” including three possible logos. Now the on-the-move-to-Brooklyn basketball team has revealed its primary logo which happens to be created by one of its owners, Jay Z.

The new black-and-white logo keeps the previous Nets’ shield, adds a “B” for “Brooklyn” to the basketball image and spells out Brooklyn underneath. Here’s the trademark record from Corsearch^® Advantage™:

There’s also a secondary logo with the letter “B” inside a basketball with the words “Brooklyn New York” surrounding it. Brett Yormark, the Nets CEO, called this version of the logo “the new badge for Brooklyn.” You can check out all of the Brooklyn Nets’ official logos here, thanks to the NBA website.

We’ll see you in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center next season, Nets fans!

Suits and countersuits are over with a decision by the 6^th U.S. Circuit of Appeals giving Maker’s Mark bourbon the right to enforce its trademark on the red dripping wax seal on its bottles. Check out the court papers here.

This case started back in 2003 when Maker’s Mark sued Casa Cuervo SA for damages and an injunction, claiming that Cuervo’s tequila bottle seal infringed on its 1985 trademark, claiming a likelihood of confusion. Cuervo’s “Reserva de la Familia” began using a dripping wax seal in 1997, years before the tequila became available in the U.S. in 2001.

Cuervo dropped its wax seal in 2004 and countersued Maker’s Mark in an attempt to void its trademark. Following the recent Appeals Court ruling, an attorney for Maker’s Mark said: “The decision shows that if a company develops a recognizable symbol, competitors are not allowed to free-ride by adopting similar symbols to promote their products.”

What’s the origin of the Maker’s Mark red wax seal? The story goes that Marjorie Samuels, the wife of the liquor’s originator came up with the idea and used a deep fryer to apply it to bottles.

What’s your favorite bottle design?

Body Armor founder, Lance Collins, responded to the trademark infringement suit over its sports beverage filed by Under Armour that we told you about last week here on T+B.

George Clooney and Julia Roberts teamed up in a new movie? Nope. But they did team up to file a trademark infringement lawsuit against two companies for using their names and likeness to sell movie projectors and entertainment systems.

Only 79 days away to the start of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and merchandise — from jewelry to baby clothes — is popping up everywhere. Read this New York Times article about some of the trademark protection activities in place.

In a new blog post on CircleID, Corsearch’s Steve Stolfi reviews how the new gTLD application has had a tumultuous start from the TAS glitch to the lack of clarity surrounding the clearinghouse costs. Read the full article here.

The last time you read about Burberry here on T+B the story involved the unlawful use of its iconic plaid on chairs in an Armenian coffee shop. Now Burberry Group Plc is involved in dueling lawsuits with the estate of actor Humphrey Bogart over the use of an image of the actor wearing one of its trench coats in the movie ‘Casablanca.’

Bogart LLC, the company that manages the late actor’s estate, has filed suit against Burberry for the unauthorized use of Bogart’s image in a social media campaign. The image of Bogie wearing a Burberry trench coat came from the final scene of Casablanca. Bogart LLC, majority-owned by the children of Bogart and his widow, actress Lauren Bacall, claims it did not give Burberry permission to use the image. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to stop Burberry’s use of the image and unspecified damages.

Burberry filed legal action of its own, asking a federal court for a declaratory judgment that its use of Bogart’s name and image in social media did not constitute trademark infringement. The image of the Burberry-clad Bogart, according to the British fashion house, had been licensed from photo agency Corbis and was used in an historical timeline showing “the influence of the brand.” Burberry said that the image was not being used to sell merchandise and claimed that its use of the image is protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. (If you happen to be a Facebook fan of Burberry, you’ll see photos of other actors in the company’s timeline, including Robert Mitchum and Tyrone Power.)

The late actor’s son, Stephen Bogart, had this to say about Burberry in a press release: “Apparently they believe a shoe company can advertise the fact that Brad Pitt wore its brand while jogging down the street, or a beverage company can claim George Clooney drank its product in one of his movies — all without even asking, much less obtaining, the actors’ permission.”

What’s your favorite Humphrey Bogart movie?

Under Armour (athletic apparel/sporting goods). Body Armor (nutritional/sports drink). Under Armour’s products are mostly known for being worn outside the body; Body Armor’s are ingested into the body. Under Armour claims that consumers might assume a connection between the two companies and filed a trademark infringement suit against Body Armor last week.

Under Armour is a U.S.-based maker of sports apparel and sporting goods — you may recognize some of the professional athletes who have endorsement deals with the company. In court papers (thanks to The Trademark Blog) filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland, Under Armour says that not only are the two company names similar, but the logos and the taglines are too. Body Armor’s tagline is “Protect + Restore.” Under Armour’s tagline? “Protect This House.”

Here’s a look at Under Armour’s trademark registration record for energy and nutritional drinks from Corsearch^® Advantage™:

Do you think there’s a likelihood of confusion?

At a London Design Museum exhibit celebrating his red-soled shoes, designer Christian Louboutin told the Associated Press: “What PPR does via Yves Saint Laurent is breaking my trademark, which I find incredibly offensive.” He went on to say: “I do not own a color. I own a specific color in a specific place.”

For the few of you who aren’t already aware of this ongoing trademark battle between Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent over the use of the color red on the soles of shoes, you can read our primer on the case here.

A US-based motorcycle fan social networking site called HarleySpace.com recently changed its name following receipt of a cease-and-desist letter from motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson, Inc.

Besides the use of the word “Harley,” HarleySpace also featured an orange and black logo — the same colors used by Harley-Davidson. Jimmy Coulbourne bought the domain name two years ago and launched it as a networking site for motorcycle enthusiasts. Coulbourne told the York Daily Record, “They’ll never convince me that my members are foolish enough to think this site is owned by Harley.”

The cease-and-desist letter, from Harley-Davidson’s Global Brand Protection Department, stated that the company owns the Harley trademark and has exclusive rights to use it in connection with motorcycles and related goods and services. The letter went on to say that the HarleySpace domain name would cause confusion in the marketplace and constituted trademark infringement, unfair competition, and trademark dilution.

Coulbourne’s site is now called IronRides.com.

Are you a bike enthusiast? What’s your favorite film featuring motorcycles? You might want to use this list to jog your memory. Here’s one of our favorites — thanks to Movieclips.com: