As a member of a opersonal injury firm, I was interested to read that Outer Banks, North Carolina resident James Douglas, the creator of the ever present OBX logo lost his appeal for trademark infringement in Raleigh on Friday. Everyone knows the OBX stickers. From Maryland to Hampton Roads and beyond you see the stickers everywhere. Douglas came up with the abbreviation in 1994. Initially he gave the stickers away but eventually formed OBX-Stock and the OBX bumper stickers are prominently displayed on vehicles of OBX lovers.
The United States District Court in Raleigh, N.C. found in June 2006 that OBX was generic or a descriptive for North Carolina’s 200 miles of barrier islands and not a valid trademark. The appeals panel agreed.
Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia, with offices in northeast NC and Virginia Beach (VA), practicing primarily in the southeastern U.S. and handles only injury law, including car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. The firm’s website is: hsinjurylaw.com, the firm edits three injury law blogs: Virginia Beach Injuryboard & Norfolk Injuryboard, as well as the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard and also hosts a video library covering many FAQ’s on personal injury subjects.
