Chrysler’s ‘Imported from Detroit’ tagline clears trademark hurdle

Imported from Detroit

Every time we hear the tagline ‘Imported from Detroit’ we’re left wondering who was the man/woman that actually came up with the phrase for Chrysler since it’s done wonders for the Auburn Hills automaker. Either way, the automaker has now received preliminary approvals from a federal patent examiner in its bid to trademark the tag line of the popular ad campaign launched during Super Bowl XLV in a TV ad spot featuring Eminem.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said Tuesday that two of Chrysler’s three trademark applications were approved by an examiner to be published for opposition, which is a procedural step towards getting final approval.

Are there any objections? Of course there are. In March, Chrysler sued retailer Pure Detroit in U.S. District Court in Detroit over sales of T-shirts with ‘Imported from Detroit’ printed on them. Pure Detroit countersued saying Chrysler didn’t have a valid trademark.

Chrysler had received a preliminary rejection on two applications in March, one which was filed for use on clothing, jewelry, watches and other merchandise and another for use on games, toys, bumper stickers and other material.

– By: Roman Bronfenbrener

Source: Automotive News