use of family name as trademark

[iansale]

A large US pharmaceutical company is about to release a product known as Cialis. This is for erectile dysfunction - a son of Viagra. The name Cialis is a family name, the name of my late grandmother, and several living cousins in Canada, UK and France. The use of the name will obviously cause them to be the object of ridicule. It demeans a name important in our family network. It is a rare surname. It has no meaning in English or French. It bears no relationship with the generic product. Cialis was registered as a trademark about 2 years ago. What can we do?

 

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

My response:

All you can do is keep a stiff upper lip. Believe me when I tell you, everything's on the up and up.

Good luck to you.

IAAL