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ARTICLE · 27 OCTOBER 2015

More Valuable Than Patents? Recognizing—And Leveraging—Trademark Assets While Avoiding Potential Pitfalls Along The Way

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP
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Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP

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By the time RadioShack filed for bankruptcy in February, the once-mighty electronics chain had long been in decline.

United StatesIntellectual Property
Danny Awdeh
Danny Awdeh
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By the time RadioShack filed for bankruptcy in February, the once-mighty electronics chain had long been in decline. Yet nostalgia for the 94-year-old brand continues to linger, as evidenced by the recent auction of the iconic RadioShack name for $26.2 million. Its sale in May to hedge fund Standard General LP, which will reportedly keep more than 40 percent of RadioShack stores open, underscores the value of a trademark—even in the case of a declining business struggling to survive decades after its prime, something RadioShack itself acknowledged in a self-mocking "Goodbye '80s" Super Bowl commercial in 2014 featuring Hulk Hogan, Mary Lou Retton, Alf, and other 1980s pop-culture icons.

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