Even if we don't actually own one, many of us will be familiar with the Roomba ®, a "robot vacuum cleaner" which is able to detect and manoeuvre around obstacles to clean your home while you sit on the sofa. (I recommend an Internet search for Roomba Humour.)
The ROOMBA trade mark was registered in the US ten years ago for vacuum cleaners and robots for cleaning - a very concise description of goods. New US applications have now been filed for the brand, extending into new functionality ("environmental hazard detectors") and also containing some intriguingly broad terms such as "robots featuring artificial intelligence, namely, telepresence robots for interior use; robots with personal assistant capabilities". There is also comprehensive coverage for related software goods.
Two things occur to me. Firstly, is the Roomba now sentient with aspirations for global domination?? Why the "personal assistant" coverage? It makes more sense when you realise - and I hadn't until yesterday - that the brand is owned by Amazon. This coverage is ideal to make the Roomba product smarter - and although it sounds futuristic, we are already there. There is an app, which can be operated via Amazon's Alexa voice assistant. The Roomba can already be set to clean to a schedule, and the app can suggest its own improvements so as to match your usual household routine.
Secondly, many household appliances, whilst perhaps not particularly glamorous and brand-centric, have evolved significantly since the advent of the "smart home". Coverage for a "vacuum cleaner", which was perfectly accurate and adequate ten years ago, is now missing some important aspects as the product features have developed. If your product has improved and does something new, does your trade mark coverage still match up to it?
As a trade mark attorney, I have one plea, in addition to a request to think about your trade mark coverage. If you are going to join up your voice assistant and your robot vacuum, please don't say "Alexa, do the hoovering"...
#trademarks #ai
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), a leader in the e-commerce industry and leader in cloud services with its Amazon Web Services (AWS), is making inroads with artificial intelligence (AI)
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