Can my acronym nickname be copyrighted?

[Vickie82]

2 years ago a friend of mine thought up an affectionate nickname for me that is acronymized as SALT. With the release of a movie that has SALT in it, I thought of checking out the way to protecting the uniqueness of the acronym, because it is artful and inventive.

Question 1: should I copyright SALT, as an acronym of 3-4 specific 4-word combinations?

Question 2: does my friend own the right to it? Should I pay for the copyrighting process and buy it back from him?

Question 3: A third party now is interested in using the acronym. How would I gauge the fair price for the copyright?

In December of 2009, the acronym has been published and discussed on my blog, along with its constituent words and permutations.

I am an expat and I am registered to vote in New York.

Thank you

 

[justalayman]

How do I copyright a name, title, slogan or logo?
Copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, or short phrases. In some cases, these things may be protected as trademarks. Contact the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, 800-786-9199, for further information. However, copyright protection may be available for logo artwork that contains sufficient authorship. In some circumstances, an artistic logo may also be protected as a trademark

.

from: U.S. Copyright Office - Frequently Asked Questions

 

[Vickie82]

Thank you for replying.

Then how about Trademarking it?

 

[swalsh411]

What goods or services would you brand with this "trademark"?

 

[proud_parent]

What goods or services would you brand with this "trademark"?

Considering the nickname itself, be VERY careful how you answer that one, OP.

 

[Vickie82]

I am considering publishing:
a book,
videos of my dancing with singing,
lap dancing and related materials.

swalsh411 - I do note understand what is there to be careful with answering?

 

[swalsh411]

A tradeMARK is just that. A mark. It has to be specific and distinguishable in identifying the product/service you are marketing. The McDonalds arch is a trademark and everybody recognizes it as McDonalds but that doesn't mean they have exclusive rights to the letter M or arches. If your question is whether or not you can trademark the word "salt" that would be no.

 

[FlyingRon]

If your question is whether or not you can trademark the word "salt" that would be no.

Certainly he could use it as a trademark. Now it wouldn't work as a food product or service most likely, but as the name of an online computer service, why not?

 

[justalayman]

If your question is whether or not you can trademark the word "salt" that would be no.

You might want to research the uspto

United States Patent and Trademark Office

and see how many times salt is a registered word mark.

 

[proud_parent]

I am considering publishing:
a book,
videos of my dancing with singing,
lap dancing and related materials.

Hmmm...a woman from New York, looking to make a name for herself from videos of her dancing and singing (and what-not) .

Are you sure Cheryl 'Salt' James hasn't beaten you to this trademark?

 

[Vickie82]

How about it inside a lead-in slogan, for example, "Vickie the SALT™"?

 

[justalayman]

Hmmm...a woman from New York, looking to make a name for herself from videos of her dancing and singing (and what-not) .

Are you sure Cheryl 'Salt' James hasn't beaten you to this trademark?

I happened to notice salt n pepa had several abandoned marks. Didn't dig far enough to see if Salt (of salt n pepa) has been maintained.

 

[Vickie82]

Hmmm...a woman from New York, looking to make a name for herself from videos of her dancing and singing (and what-not) .

Are you sure Cheryl 'Salt' James hasn't beaten you to this trademark?

I know that nobody has, because SALT is a unique acronym.

so, does it seem like I should trademark it in his name and then buy it from him?
does he own it, or by the acronym's unique adjectives describing me it is naturally my property?

 

[proud_parent]

I know that nobody has, because SALT is a unique acronym.

so, does it seem like I should trademark it in his name and then buy it from him?
does he own it, or by the acronym's unique adjectives describing me it is naturally my property?

Huh?

Do you mean to suggest that if someone describes me as a MILF, I should have some claim to that acronym as my property?

 

[Vickie82]

No, because MILF's meaning is already widely known, while SALT's adjectives not.