Yesterday, Stelor Productions sent out a press release with a headline that would make a penny-stock operator proud: "Googles to Google: Stay Out of Our Space." Needless to say, the story generated instant buzz.
You see, Stelor Productions is the operator of Googles, which is the developer of alien characters known as "Googles from Goo" targeted at the kids market. The company has produced online games, stickers, CDs, toys, and even music, in a deal with Apple's
And what is a better way to build a brand than to bring legal action against Google, right before its highly anticipated initial public offering (IPO)? That's what happened yesterday when Stelor Productions filed trademark proceedings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Interestingly enough, lawsuit-as-PR is nothing new in the IPO world. For example, in 1997, on the eve of the Amazon.com
And there was CertCo's lawsuit against PayPal -- which is now a part of eBay
As for Googles, it will have an extremely tough fight. Google is a global brand that rivals Coca-Cola and Starbucks
But there is one lawsuit that Google should have some concern about. In 2002, Overture sued Google for patent infringement regarding ad placements for search engines. The suit was filed against FindWhat.com
Of course, now Overture is a part of Yahoo!
Fool contributor Tom Taulli is the author of The EDGAR Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He does not own shares in any of the stocks mentioned.