STL’s been in Buenos Aires.
For this blog, that can only mean one thing: infringement safari. When traveling, it’s great fun to find examples of blatant trademark infringement, counterfeiting, descriptive marks, and the like. Check out the last couple safaris here and here.
I’ve got to say, BA was more of a challenge than I thought. Not the language — I knew its Italian-sounding dialect would be a little tough. But the infringement. Counterfeit-looking DVDs are pretty ubiquitous on the street. But infringement in brick-and-mortar stores appears to be relatively rare. The most outlandish example I found was this fake “Lululemon” shop:
Wonder if their yoga pants are sheer.
Second prize goes to the kindergarten that helped itself to the “Hello Kitty” name. Being a proud uncle of two nieces, I know the power of the Hello Kitty brand. What girl wouldn’t want to go to school here?
Finally, I couldn’t pass up this descriptive trademark. Like girls and Hello Kitty, what homeowner wanting to sell wouldn’t want to hire the best real estate agent? Literally. As in “Best Seller Brokers”?
(Photos by STL)