Publishing House?

A few months ago I applied for trademark registration with the governments of Canada and the United States.

The USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) has replied to me enumerating a number of problems with my application and I have six months to amend it. This is not really a surprise, since I deliberately made my application broad, trying to cover information products information delivery as much as possible. I will probably need to get a lawyer who specializes in this sort of thing - although, first off I will start with Sofia. She is a lawyer (granted, her principal work has been in the area of women's issues and human rights and most recently in protection and preservation of traditional knowledge), so we will see how that goes.

Of course, I think it would all be simpler if I was a publishing house, then I could apply for general coverage. I did apply for general publishing coverage and this was their response:

In addition, “non-fiction books on a variety of topics” and “series of fiction and non-fiction books on a variety of topics” is an acceptable identification of goods only if the applied-for mark is for a publishing house. It does not appear from the record that applicant is a publishing house. Therefore, this wording must be deleted from the identification of goods.

Perhaps a publishing house is in my future. Hmmm ... how does one become a publishing house? What is the difference between a publishing house and a printer? More fundamentally, what is a publishing house? Does running off a dozen copies of a newsletter qualify me as a publishing house? If wonder if Conrad Black could offer some advice?

Definitely food for thought.

Note: a definition I got from the Internet for Publishing House is:
Any of the large commercial publishers that purchase manuscripts through agents or from authors, or pay an advance. Publishing Houses make all editorial decisions regarding content and style, pay all production and distribution costs, and own the copyright. When the book sells, the Publishing House may deduct advances paid from royalties due the author at the rate of 5-10% of wholesale or retail prices depending upon the contract.


Image nabbed from here.

Comments

B said…
That is interesting. It certainly doesn't seem that far-fetched to think that you could start a publishing house...and you've often alluded to getting published. Maybe that is a solution?

I'm curious about what it is that you are applying for trademark on, but appreciate that given the fact that you are in the process of seeking trademark registration, it needs to remain confidential for now. Very exciting. Keep us posted and best wishes with it!
I echo the first comment. Two new exciting ventures may await you! You have a myriad of ideas and creations you may want to get a patent on. Does becoming a publishing house initially involve a huge output of money?

I didn't realize Sofia was a lawyer..thought she was a social worker for some reason. I hope she can help you.
buzybee said…
ah.... i learned something new today :)
Anonymous said…
wow!sofia is a lawyer? :)

what exactly is the trademark that you applied by the way?getting so curious here...
RennyBA said…
How exciting but also so confusing. Can't you just tell them you have a blog and that this makes yours a Publishing House :-)
tin-tin said…
wait! is this the same business you're talking about in your previous posts earlier?
TorAa said…
Do not give up.
It seems like definitions do not cover up with modern, digital technology....
Richard said…
breal: I think publishing myself is called self-publishing. I think a publishing house needs to be somethign a little more. However, I am looking into it. I am surprised to find how many small presses there are in Canada - publishing only a few hundred copies at a time.

MOI: I definitely need to be open to what is going on around me. Sofia cannot work as a lawyer in Canada and her work has always been towards human rights.

bee: what is a day without learning somethign new.

ghee: sorry, I am not revelaing that yet. A trademark is an identifier for a product. For all I know, it may be a stupid identifier that nobody cares about (except me).

Sofia practiced law in Peru for several years at a femminist organization. She got her master in International Human Rights in Canada. And she now works on Traditional Knowledge at the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity.

rennyba: blogger is actually the publisher of my blog, I am just the author. I think a publisher renders and delivers another persons' work.

tin-tin: I hav eno idea. I talk about a lot of things. So it is possible I have talked or hinted, or whined or dreamed about this in someway.

toraa: I am not giving up. I have 6 months to respond. I am thinking about actually forming a small publishing house. Sofia is making me go through the pros and cons.
KayMac said…
Richard, are you building that publishing house brick by brick? What's the news?
Anonymous said…
ohh,now i got it..an identifier...
pls update us the details next time :)

seems u r busy,Richard..no updates lately.
Richard said…
kaymac: I would start by making the bricks first.

ghee: yes, work has kept me occupied. As has thinking about my latest post.

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