TODAY’S TRADEMARK – THE TWILIGHT ZONE

“The Twilight Zone” is a service mark owned by CBS Broadcasting claimed to be commercially in use since 2^nd October 1959. The mark was registered on 12-10-2010 with the Registration no. 3861088. It is a service mark providing facilities like entertainment services namely ongoing television series featuring science fiction rendered through the media of television under class 41 of the International Classification.

It is an American multimedia franchise based on the television series created by Rod Sterling. The genre for each episode ranges from science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, horror to supernatural drama, black comedy, psychological thriller etc. and the episodes would usually end with an unexpected twist and with a moral learning. The first series ran for five seasons from 1959 to 1964 which was shot entirely in black and white.

The show’s title and its associated elements, including the unique title sequence and memorable opening narration, gained widespread recognition. The company behind the show’s production, Cayuga Productions, likely pursued trademark registration for “The Twilight Zone” to safeguard its intellectual property rights. During the 1980s, CBS revived “The Twilight Zone” with a fresh television series. However, this revival introduced complexities regarding the ownership of the trademark. Given that different parties were involved in the creation of the original series and the revival, issues related to trademark ownership emerged as a result.

The original television series was held in high esteem, earning significant accolades. In 2013, TV Guide, an American digital media company specializing in television program listings and entertainment news, ranked the original series as the #5^th greatest show of all time and the #4^th greatest drama.