The “Fruit of the Loom” appear on the exhibit floor for an afternoon tour. Pictured are Laura Golden, Yaritza Perez, Kim Moninghoff and Mike Butler. Photo by Louise Krafft.
T-Markey greeted visitors in the Dulaney Gardens arriving to tour the annual U.S. Patent and Trademark (USPTO) Expo in Alexandria last weekend. T-Markey is the official USPTO mascot. Along with T-Markey was Waldo, Crayola Crayons, the Fruit of the Loom and the Peep. The gardens featured equipment from John Deere, Berg USA bikes and toys, a NASCAR vehicle and a pop-up garden of inflatables featuring registered trademarks.
Inside the exhibit hall more than 40 vendors displayed products and information on copyrighted materials. Display cases showed products with non-traditional trademarks such as the Burberry plaid, geographical indicators and examples of authentic copyrighted goods along with counterfeits.
Children’s workshop, story time and patent and trademark seminars were held on the hour on both Friday and Saturday. Featured topics included: Counterfeiting & Piracy – Why Buy “Legit?”; Trademark Basics; Trademark Application Registration; USPTO Website Overview and Trademarks-Patents-Copyrights and Trade Secrets for U.S. Companies — Top Myths, Mysteries and Mistakes.