User talk:Cosproductions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Circle of Seven Productions use of the term "Book Trailer"

The term "Book Trailer" has been trademarked by COS Productions. It is a US registered trademark term and has been theirs for years. Years later, after COS Productions spent thousands of dollars and hours convincing the industry and the public that "Book Trailers" are a viable product, many have questioned their right to keep the term trademarked.

As most know, you can't trademark commonly used words. But, in 2002, when COS Productions came up with the idea of "Book Trailers" the term had not been used. No one has thought to use video in this fashion and even after the idea was created it took a great deal of promotion to make people understand what a "Book Trailer" was. Through research and armed with the fact that no one used the words "book" and "trailer" prior to COS, the law firm of Sanders, Squires and Dempsey out of San Francisco, California were able to trademark the term for Circle of Seven Productions.

"I understand how it might be frustrating to some people that we own the trademark to the term," says CEO and creator Sheila Clover English, "But, when we asked for the term no one cared, nor did it appear that anyone thought it would ever be of significance that we owned the term. That was, until we made the term a household name."

According to Mrs. English, they don't take legal action against people who use the term unless it is a business trying to capitalize on the term. "We just let them know that the term is trademarked and they usually change thier term to "book video" or something similar."

The popularity of using videos to promote books was highlighted this year when The Book Standard premiered their Book Video Contest. The Book Standard was contacted by Circle of Seven Productions in 2004 and told about the exciting idea of using "Book Trailers". And, although other companies had started creating a variety of video ideas for books, it was the "Book Trailer" idea that The Book Standard chose as a template for their contest.

Circle of Seven Productions will always be known as the creators of "Book Trailers". Whether they're able to hold on to the trademark term is, as of yet, undetermined. But, the creation of such a tool has changed the way the billion-dollar book industry does promotion.