To Sue or Not to Sue?

The Beatles' Apple Corps Ltd. finally settling its trademark case with Apple Inc. is a good example when it makes sense for a company to defend its registered trademark — both companies had a great deal at stake in the dispute. The National Pork Board, however, learned the hard way that companies need to pick their trademark battles wisely. The National Pork Board, owners of the trademark "The Other White Meat," tried suing a blogger who was selling tee shirts for breast feeding mothers with the slogan, "The Other White Milk." The lawsuit predictably backfired, and in return the National Pork Board received lots of bad publicity and issued an apology to the blogger. The moral of the story? Trademark battles are costly, can last years, and may not be worth hassle in the first place - especially if you're suing blogging mothers with little money.