Samsung Applied in Single Day for 7 QLED TV Trademarks, PTO Records Show

Samsung applied in a single day March 22 to register seven U.S. trademarks for its 2017 quantum-dot-based QLED 4K TV lineup (see 1703140059), including some for product features or promotional catch-phrases the company already has begun using in commerce, Patent and Trademark Office records show. All the would-be trademarks consist of “standard characters, without claim to any particular font, style, size, or color,” said the various applications, including one to register the term, “The Next Innovation in TV,” Samsung’s umbrella tagline for the QLED TV line launch. Three other applications were to register terms or phrases also already in commercial use for Samsung's 2017 QLED TV marketing effort: (1) “Studio Stand,” Samsung’s name for the optional QLED TV floor mount that positions the TV easel-style like a work of art; (2) “Art Mode,” the setting on Samsung’s forthcoming Frame TV that turns the set’s panel into framed artwork when it's not being used for entertainment; (3) “Every seat is a great seat,” Samsung’s promotional terminology to trumpet the QLED TV’s wide viewing angle. Three remaining applications were for QLED TV catch-phrases that Samsung hasn't yet debuted, or at least were nowhere to be found when we searched the company’s various ad and promotional materials: (1) “All shades of color brought to life,” Samsung’s apparent nod to QLED TV’s claimed color performance, which the company says is comprised of “more than a billion shades and 100% color volume”; (2) “Gorgeous minimalistic design from every angle,” a reference to what Samsung calls QLED TV’s “no-bezel design and clean back finish” that make the sets “look gorgeous front to back, whether mounted on the wall or sitting on a stand”; (3) “Ultimate details as directors intended,” an obvious tagline to trumpet Samsung claims about QLED TV’s outstanding picture quality. In promotional materials, the company describes QLED TV’s 4K HDR Elite feature as delivering “elite contrast and expanded color detail, even in the brightest and darkest areas in any scene,” while a 4K Elite Black function “unveils outstanding blacks, bringing new life to dark scenes.”