Q: Does a bilingual company name violate copyrights or trademarks of a company name with the same meaning in one language?
For example, "world" = "mundo" / "happy" = "feliz" from English to Spanish. So, would a company called "Happy Mundo" violate the copyrights or trademarks of a company called "Happy World" or "Mundo Feliz", since they each have the same meaning? And what if Happy Mundo wanted to operate internationally?
A:
Yes
The trademark office considers foreign languages and translations when making a determination on whether to approve or not an application.
Consult with an attorney.
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A:
Yes, you may run into issues. The application for a trademark does require you to disclose whether the words are a translation of another language.
Consult with a trademark attorney for your best chances of success.
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A: Using "the doctrine of foreign equivalents", the USPTO may determine that one trademark is confusingly similar to another trademark based on direct translation and other factors. Consult with a trademark attorney to assist you.
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