Trademark

Apple's retail store design has been granted a trademark from the U.S. government, giving the company some protection from copycat retailers. The Cupertino, Calif., company's "clear glass storefront" design, complete with "large, rectangular horizontal panels over the top of the glass front," received trademark status last week from the U.S Patent and Trademark office.  The trademark covers the store's interior furniture and fixtures as...

Milt Larsen is a master of two kinds of magic. There's the abracadabra kind that his magician parents brought him up on, and the sort he began practicing with his late brother, Bill - the magic of preserving buildings, including the Variety Arts Theater downtown and the Mayfair Music Hall in Santa Monica. The capper is the Magic Castle. Here, 50 years ago, the Larsens - presto-changeo - turned a banker's home into a members-only clubhouse for grown-up magicians and their fans. Larsen has three cable radio shows (old comedy and even older music)

"TINDERBOX." Siouxsie & the Banshees. Geffen. This first Banshees LP since 1984's "Hyaena" hasn't that album's fascinating sideshows, but "Tinderbox" has its own charms. It continues and furthers singer-writer Siouxsie Sioux's comparative softening of her sound without ever giving a sense of commercial compromise. There are eight strong examples of this English band's trademark exotica, including the single released several months ago, "Cities in Dust."

AVONDALE, Ariz. - When the race was over, Carl Edwards parked his No. 99 Ford at the finish line and climbed onto the car's window frame. Cheers from the grandstands swelled at Phoenix International Raceway, because the fans knew what was coming next. The question was: Did Edwards still know how to do it? After all, it had been 70 races since Edwards had won a Sprint Cup Series race and performed his trademark victory back flip from the car. "I was a little nervous," Edwards, 33, later admitted.

Ryan Lochte has moved on from the competitive waters of London to the glittery pools of Hollywood. The 28-year-old swimmer descended on Los Angeles this week to film a cameo in the CW's teen soap "90210," hit a few red carpets and even drum up merchandising business. Already a media darling thanks to that smile (complete with patriotic grill ) and washboard stomach, Lochte's even more of a hit for his, um, unique interview presence. "Memorizing lines and trying to like, say 'em and still, like, do movement … it was hard," Lochte told Access Hollywood, via Buzzfeed, about his stint on "90210.

An obscure Chinese company's battle with Apple Inc. over who has rights to the iPad name took another unlikely turn after authorities in northeastern China seized dozens of the Apple tablets for trademark infringement, an attorney for the company said. The seizures in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province, were in response to a complaint filed by Proview Technology, a company based in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen which has stymied Apple's bid to secure the trademark in China for its hot-selling device.

The Olympics movement has passed over Chicago, but it has left a lasting and unpleasant mark on George Tsoukas' business. He has owned a butcher shop here for about 40 years. But a year or two ago, Olympic Meat Packers Inc. had to be renamed Olympia Meat Packers Inc. because federal law gives the U.S. Olympic Committee a trademark on the word "Olympic." Tsoukas, whose family is Greek, says he sometimes forgets and answers the phone with the old name. "My customers, they hang up on me and they think it's a different business," he says.

LAS VEGAS - Picture the lion before the kill. Sitting comfortably in a tony suite backstage at the Mirage casino, comedian Lewis Black was in a mellow mood. A reasonably fit, aging man with black and gray hair and glasses, he seemed a bit professorial as he mulled over a question: What was his best tool to disarm a heckler? Within an hour he would be onstage, face scrunched in disbelief, arms and hands flailing in trademark fury, voice bawling with frustration and anger as he eviscerated politicians, baby boomers and social media while slaying a packed multi-generational house that had turned out to see a 64-year old man complain himself into a rage.

Two things jump out consistently on the Real Estate pages. The first is the lack of any--or very little--mention of architects in your remodeling stories. Architects create the big picture, they know the questions to ask and their prices for valuable cost-saving advice and design savvy may be much more reasonable than your contributors assume. Second, the consistent initial upper-case designation of the word "Realtor" makes me laugh. Whether teacher or gardener, professions, unless preceded by title, are printed lower case.

BEIJING — The Kardashian sisters don't sell their clothing and perfume in China, and you can't buy authentic J. Crew khakis here. But both names are already trademarked by Chinese businesspeople looking to profit from American enterprises that want to tap China's booming retail market. Extortion? Nope. It's called "trademark squatting. " And it's legal in China, where trademarks generally are awarded to those who are first to register them with government authorities. If these and other U.S. companies want to use their own names, they probably will have to pay the Chinese holder for the rights.

Apple's retail store design has been granted a trademark from the U.S. government, giving the company some protection from copycat retailers. The Cupertino, Calif., company's "clear glass storefront" design, complete with "large, rectangular horizontal panels over the top of the glass front," received trademark status last week from the U.S Patent and Trademark office.  The trademark covers the store's interior furniture and fixtures as...

- There were a few pages still to be turned Monday in the book titled, "Here Comes Tiger Woods Again. " After an intense and gutty Sunday at the Farmers Insurance Open, that book now seems publishable. Hot off the presses and coming soon. The final chapter, of course, cannot be completed until Woods wins another major title. His next would be his 15th and would put him back in shape to get to Jack Nicklaus' record 18. He won three titles on the PGA Tour last year, which most golf fans took as an obvious lead-in to 2013 as the year of a return to normalcy in pro golf.

BEIRUT - After weeks of fighting, Syrian rebels said Friday that they had seized a strategic air base in northwestern Idlib province, depriving the government of its ability to carry out helicopter airstrikes in the area. The Taftanaz air base has been used by the government to stage helicopter attacks on rebels in the province, adjacent to the Turkish border. The campaign to seize it had been spearheaded by hard-line Islamic fighting groups, such as Al Nusra Front, which is affiliated with Al Qaeda.

Walt Disney Co. has won an appeals court ruling that protects the Burbank entertainment giant's trademarks to the valuable Winnie the Pooh characters. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington upheld a decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that blocked Stephen Slesinger Inc.'s challenges to Disney's control of the trademark for the Hundred Acre Wood clan. The ruling appears to end a 21-year legal odyssey against Disney by Stephen Slesinger's family.

LAS VEGAS - Picture the lion before the kill. Sitting comfortably in a tony suite backstage at the Mirage casino, comedian Lewis Black was in a mellow mood. A reasonably fit, aging man with black and gray hair and glasses, he seemed a bit professorial as he mulled over a question: What was his best tool to disarm a heckler? Within an hour he would be onstage, face scrunched in disbelief, arms and hands flailing in trademark fury, voice bawling with frustration and anger as he eviscerated politicians, baby boomers and social media while slaying a packed multi-generational house that had turned out to see a 64-year old man complain himself into a rage.

Forget the lineups, the game strategies and the individual matchups. If you're looking for a key to the Galaxy's chances in its playoff series with the Seattle Sounders, count how many times Robbie Keane flips out. There has been no greater correlation to the team's success this season than Keane's trademark goal celebration of a cartwheel and forward roll. Because when Keane tumbles, the Galaxy tends not to. In the 13 games the team lost, including in the playoffs, Keane scored just twice.

The iPad trademark battle between Apple and Proview Technologies has jumped from China to the U.S. as a new lawsuit accuses Apple of committing fraud in 2009. Proview's Taiwanese subsidiary, Proview Electronics, known largely for making computer monitors, filed a complaint in Santa Clara County Superior Court on Feb. 17, accusing Apple of hiring the lawfirm Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge to start a company that was formed with the sole purpose of purchasing the trademark for the "iPad" name on its behalf.

A short time ago, Tim Tebow got down on one knee and prayed. That inconspicuous move led to a craze, whose name has now been trademarked. Yes, it's true, Tebow has trademarked the prayer pose, dubbed "Tebowing" by observers. He apparently doesn't want to make money off of it, but rather wants to make sure that its integrity is protected. "I know it was something that was cool for me in the past, but it's not something I do as 'Tebowing,' " Tebow said. "It's something I do that's prayer for me and then it got hyped up as Tebowing.

Set on a bluff, this remodeled Harry Gesner-designed home retains his architectural trademarks: a high-pitched wave-style roof and semicircular living spaces, including the kitchen and master bathroom. A two-story stone fireplace in the living room is flanked by walls of windows to take in 180-degree coastal views. Location: 32248 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu 90265 Asking price: $2.995 million Year built: 1980 House size: Six bedrooms, 61/2 bathrooms Lot size: 0.33 acres Features: Gated, wood ceilings, two fireplaces, den, master suite with a two-entrance walk-in closet, decks, stone patio with spa, rear lawn, parking for six cars, private path to steps leading to a cove.