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A Lebanon County mom with a small web business got a surprise. Consumer products giant Proctor and Gamble said she needs to change the name of her business!
Diane Kovach of Annville makes custom cloth diapers called "Pampered Bunz". Apparently the name is too close to Proctor and Gamble's disposable diapers, "Pampers." At first, Kovach just thought it would be fun to make colorful, washable, cloth diapers for her kids. About a year ago she got some fabric and went to work.
"Some friends saw them and they wanted a few." said Kovach. Before she knew it, Kovach was in the custom cloth diaper business through her website www.pamperedbunz.com. The response was great.
Then Proctor and Gamble, makers of "Pampers", found out about the business name when Kovach applied for a trademark. Company attorneys wrote and said the name has to change. "The thought never occurred to me till now," said Kovach. "And now I see. I can see a connection."
Trademark and patent attorney Michael Doctrow of the Harrisburg law firm McNees Wallace and Nurick, works with major manufacturers all over the country. He says even small business owners like Kovach need to research the names they choose for their products. Doctrow said, "You can go to the patent and trademark office website and do a very basic search yourself. It is very inexpensive to go to an attorney and get a clearance search and a clearance opinion." Doctrow says an attorney will charge around three thousand dollars to make sure a product name does not infringe on another company. That's a lot cheaper than having to change the name once your business is established. The U.S. Patent and Trademark website is www.uspto.gov.
Kovach says she has a new name for her business but won't reveal it until her attorney makes sure it does not conflict with any other company in the baby products business.
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