Copyrighting an Audio Trademark

[Bill Piacentini <billpi@ll.mit.edu>]

Ranting Invoked:
I can't believe any ship's bell chiming out the ship's watch "time" is
trademarked separate from the WJIB call letters. Heck, you hear the ship's
bell, you say: WJIB. How can the current trademark owners expect any other
calls to come to mind?
Can't WJIB use another ship's bell (not the USS Constitution) that just
functions as a ship's bell does? Can anyone distinguish the ship's bell on
Old Ironsides from any other ship's bell?
Does the BBC have a trademark on Big Ben chiming out the time on the hour?
Couldn't one use the bell from the Old Belfry in Lexington, for example,
without the BBC suing that entity?
If a station had a cuckoo clock as its ID could it then apply for an audio
trademark?
Let's say we buy a station; apply for WWEL calls; they're granted; we have
someone record: "Here ye, here ye, it's [insert hour] o'clock, and all is
W-W-E-L (couldn't help myself!)," preceded and followed by the customary
town crier bell ringing. You mean we could audio trademark the bell ringing;
go off the air; have the calls WWEL asked for and assigned by the FCC to
Jose Enterprises, for example; and Jose Ent. can use the WWEL calls, but
can't use the Town Crier's bell and/or words?
Aren't the copyright laws strange?
Ranting Revoked. You now have full control of your faculties!

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