#Cockygate- The Cocky Trademark Controversy

In case you missed it, this past weekend the entire indie author community was all lit up over one author’s recent actions and positioning. Her name is Faleena Hopkins, author of the successful Cocker Brothers Series, a collection of humorous, steamy romance novels. A quick glance over Faleena’s deep catalog shows solid branding and two registered trademarks in the “Cocker Brothers” and “Cocky” series names. The controversy revolves around the registration of the latter trademark of cocky. Fairly innocuous at a first, it would seem this author was just staking her claim and positioning herself as the only relevant author in “Cocker Brothers” and “Cocky” branded books. However, Faleena personally contacted most authors with her trademarked word in their title and requested a full cease and desist. She earned the title of trademark bully by quite a few indie authors. The indie publishing community labeled the situation as trademark bullying at its best and hash-tagged it with: #cockygate #byefaleena #freecocky Do you think Faleena should be lumped in with other trademark bullies? Bianca Sommerland on YouTube covered the Cocky trademark in these videos: Cocky Copyright by Faleena Hopkins //youtu.be/y4zI5rMRGHM Cocky Continued //youtu.be/dR39dezDI6s Sasha White on YouTube covered the Cocky trademark in these videos: Trademark Cocky, and more. //youtu.be/mzU7ssWelGk #CockyGate Update //youtu.be/uBpuojCIcEw The alleged original font creator on Twitter //twitter.com/SetSailStudios/status/993183145951408129 The bestselling author & retired lawyer Kevin Kneupper who filed a petition for cancellation with the US Patent and Trademark Office //twitter.com/kneupperwriter/status/993359859071381505 Find the trademarks for Cocky at //tmsearch.uspto.gov/ To show support for Faleena Hopkins, check her out at //www.youtube.com/channel/UCpBmE6uMNlmSNOlNnXZqVhg Or, on Twitter at //twitter.com/FaleenaHopkins See Faleena's full catalog at this affiliate link //amzn.to/2FSkJyQ To file a letter of protest, go to //www.uspto.gov/trademarks-application-process/filing-online/petition-forms To sign the petition at MoveOn, go to //petitions.moveon.org/sign/cancel-faleena-hopkins -------------------- Subscribe: //www.youtube.com/selfpublishingwithdalelroberts Share this video: //youtu.be/kxII2wasuJE -------------------------------------------- Plan Your Next Book Launch Like a Pro! Get the Best Seller Book Launch Checklist at: //SelfPublishingWithDale.com/Checklist -------------------------------------------- Learn How to Master DIY Publishing! NEW VIDEOS: Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday Subscribe and join me! //www.youtube.com/selfpublishingwithdalelroberts ----- *Most outbound product links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. Affiliate links greatly help support the cause so we can continue to deliver quality videos on a consistent basis. All support is appreciated. Thank you! ** All video and audio content created by myself and or used with permission from the creator. *** Under the Fair Use doctrine a trademark may be used without permission for commentary or criticism as long as the purpose of the use is not the same purpose of the trademark. This doctrine includes informational, editorial, and comparative purposes.