Buying an old TV trademark

They haven't then suggested that the original GWR have in some way infringed upon their trademark though, have they? What First have trademarked is the (First) GWR logo, nothing else. Anybody is free to use the GWR name given that it has long lapsed (if it was ever registered to start with!). Any attempt to enforce such a trademark would probably result in its registration being thrown out.


ITV aren't trying to have it both ways. You either care about a trademark, and renew it, or you don't. It's that simple. Those trademarks are "dead", meaning they're effectively free for anybody else to use - but not register.

The GWR name was adopted by the merged radio companies Radio West and Wiltshire Radio in the 1980s, and survived until a further merger with Captial Radio when the name GCap was adopted, (though GWR was still used in on air branding in Bristol and Wiltshire until about 5 years ago). There, almost back on topic.

Staying with radio, there was a trademark battle with the name LBC back in the 90's. The name LBC wasn't being used by the new owners of the original LBC who took it over after winning it's license. Mohammad Al Fayed then bought a station in London called Viva and wanted to rename it the Liberty Broadcasting Company or LBC on air. However Al Fayed wasn't allowed to so had to use the name Liberty Radio instead. The LBC name returned a few years later to the original station.

It's happened again more recently. The BBC weren't able to call their London station 'BBC Radio London' until recently because of the other Radio London

So that's the reason for the ridiculous BBC LDN branding?

LDN was a tri-media brand, promoting the regional news, local radio and online outlets. The BBC's plan was to have a singular brand across of the regional platforms in London. They did want London Live as the name for all outlets initally, but went with LDN visually only, while London Live was used for radio.

No connection, the station had been called GLR since the late 80's and then was 'London Live' before the BBC LDN/BBC London branding.


Not quite. When BBC London/LDN was launched, the London Live name was dropped completely.

Though yes, the TV programme was going to be called 'London Live' too, in fact there was a set of titles made for it when the other regional news titles of the time were produced - they were on YouTube once.

Oddly, the head of BBC London at the time went on to be programme director of the TV channel London Live some years later. 'London Live' was also the original name for 'L!ve TV'

Does anyone remember Real Player? The "London Live" titles available here.

Were those ever used on-screen on BBC One?

I have a recollection that BBC London's studio operation started at Marylebone High Street but continued with multicoloured Newsroom South East titles and on-screen look that was in use previously at Elstree (though they dropped to single headed presentation) recreated in a CSO set. I think BBC South East at Tunbridge Wells had split by this point?

When BBC London launched for real (possibly the same time that the BBC Oxford sub-opt started - not sure) with Emily Maitlis at Marylebone High Street the BBC LDN brand was used - and was all red?

A rare moment of brain fade for you noggin... (Happened across this by accident.)



Full discussion here http://tvforum.uk/tvhome/newsroom-south-east-36207/

It seemed a simpler time, back then!

You may wish to consider 'ATV Network Limited', which was acquired by Mike Garrett of the Crossroads Appreciation Society some years back. Initially used to promote amateur dramatics at a theatre, the company is also used to run Mike's 'ATV Today' website - which is basically an attempt at trying to be Digital Spy.

This new ATV Network Limited is not allowed to use the double-eye ident that the proper ATV of old used. The new ATV Network Limited have instead trademarked a logo. They've used the three spotlights thing from the start of the Zoom 2 ident, but because they can't directly copy it (it's prior art from the old ATV), they have had to slightly squash them so they're not proper circles.

However, this didn't stop Mike Garrett from launching an extremely ill-advised and deceptive attempt at warning off ATVLand.productions (producers of documentaries From ATVLand In Colour and From Headlines To Tight Lines, which document the days of ATV and Central). Mike had written a quasi-legal threat to ATVLand.productions one Boxing Day, warning of dire consequences for using the ATV (double eye) logo.

Rather pleasingly, Keith Jacobsen (who at one time owned the name and trademark rights to TVS) looked into it and exposed Mike Garrett's threat as completely deceptive, legally unenforceable and had it ripped to pieces on the ATVLand.net forum.

As a result, Mike had to deal with a lot of anger from other folk in the Crossroads Appreciation Society, having embarrassed the organisation with a daft petty feud.

See also: BBC Essex, BBC Tees

Yep, and BBC Wiltshire Sound, (though they also used the name BBC Somerset Sound when there was no confusion (matching ILR was Orchard FM)

BBC South got in a strop in 1981, just before TVS took over from Southern.
Television South hadn't (I don't think) announced that their on-air brand name was going
to be 'TVS'. The Beeb got upset putting out local press statements that the viewers would
get confused between (BBC) TV South, and Television South, and there were even regional
promos for South Today, with the tag line 'Beware of Imitations'

The local press weren't terribly impressed, and I remember an editorial in my local paper,
stating the BBC should 'grow up' and not insult the intelligence of its audience.