What color says luxury before you open the box? What sound makes you grab the popcorn before a movie starts? In this episode of IP Goes Pop!®, hosts Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue explore how color, sound, and even scent can function as protectable trademarks.

From Smell-O-Vision and John Waters' Odorama cards (Polyester) to modern twists like The Artist and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (and the trademark fight it sparked), the conversation shows how sensory storytelling grabs attention and how the law can recognize those cues as brand identifiers. Mike and Joe break down secondary meaning (Qualitex v. Jacobson), functionality, and why precise descriptions matter.

In this episode:

• How non-traditional trademarks work, and what it takes to protect them

• The legal hurdles: secondary meaning, functionality, and clear scope drafting

• Iconic examples in action:

• • Tiffany's robin's-egg blue jewelry boxes

  • Louboutin's red-soled heels

  • John Deere's green-and-yellow equipment

  • NBC's three-note chime and the MGM lion's roar

  • Hasbro's Play-Doh scent

Bottom line: the strongest trademarks are not just seen, they're felt.

Key Moments:

(00:51) Defining non-traditional and non-conventional trademarks

(02:25) Examples of Nontraditional Media

(11:05) Trademark Foundations

(13:49) Color Functionality: The Legal Red Line

(15:44) Case Study 1: Tiffany Blue Trademark

(20:40) Case Study 2: Louboutin's Red Sole Trademark

(24:54) Case Study 3: John Deere Green & Yellow Trademark

(26:18) Sound & Audio Trademarks

(33:44) Scent Marks

(36:52) Touch Marks & Future Frontiers

(37:10) Final Thoughts & Takeaways

For full show notes and to explore more episodes, please visit www.vklaw.com/newsroom-podcasts.

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