"These Aren't the Droids You're Looking for" Suddenly Has New Patent and Trademark Meaning

How so? It's remarkable, actually -- that the word "droid" can be protected under intellectual property laws, and yet the funny thing is we have a smartphone out there with the exact same 'title'. Still, we currently don't see LucasFilm throwing up a big stink over that like with other disputes as shown here -- because, yes, the production company does, in fact, own the rights to the term "droid," meaning NO OTHER ENTITY can use that term for any creative project or business venture.

But Why? Why Is the Word "Droid" Off Limits?

We bring up that same mobile phone manufacturer that released a little smartphone known as the DROID. You can see where we're going with this: LucasFilm actually ended up trademarking the term "droid in 2009 after Verizon launched that brand of Android phone. To avoid confusion, Verizon actually paid Lucasfilm to continue using the term, something a company can do to avoid any legal issues.

What's funny about all of this patent and trademark law stuff is that the word "droid" wasn't even invented by LucasFilm. The word came up back in 1952, for a sci-fi short story written by Mari Wolf. Yet, LucasFilm owns the word -- in every possible way.

Just Another Reason to Be on the Up and Up About Your Patents and Trademarks, Right?

Want to know what else is funny? Verizon pays LucasFilm for the term DROID, and Steve Jobs, once a shareholder of Disney (who owns LucasFilm) gets a percentage for every DROID phone sold (and he was one of the creators of the iPhone).