SUDOKU-and trademarks!

There are currently 74 pending trademark applications including the word "SUDOKU". For those of you that don't know "SUDOKU"--it's the over the top popular numbers game or puzzle printed in most major newspapers throughout the country. Not sure if someone could actually get a trademark that includes the word "SUDOKU" besides the original owner of SUDOKU (or a licensee of the owner of the mark SUDOKU). Why do you ask?? SUDOKU, to me, is like "KODAK". It's a word that, I believe, is made up-and that anytime you see that word, one would likely assume that it is coming from the original SUDOKU. (SUDOKU may not be made up-I have not investigated it's origin, but I don't know anyone who has ever used the word before talking about the now famous puzzles!)

Here is a list of the 74 pending 'SUDOKU' trademark applications:

JUST SUDOKU
NINJA SUDOKU
BUKU SUDOKU
SUDOKU 3D
SUDOKO CUBE
SUDOKUBE
ROYAL SUDOKU
CUBESUDOKU.COM
SUDOKU
SUDOKU LITE
IT'S SUDOKU IN COLOR
SUDOKU QUIZ
SUDOKU MASTER
AQUA-SUDOKU
WORLD SUDOKU CHAMPIONSHIP 1 7 3 5
SUDOKU
BIG SCREEN SUDOKU
BEYOND SUDOKU
PROFESSOR FUJI'S SUDOKU
SUDOKU 4D
GLOBAL STAR SUDOKU FEVE
CELEBRITY SUDOKU
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SUDOKU
WORLD SERIES SUDOKU
SUDOKU WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
SUDOKU WORLD TOUR
PC SUDOKU
MY SUDOKU
E-SUDOKU
GOT SUDOKU?
SCRATCH SUDOKU
SUDOKU GOLD
JUMBO SUDOKU
SUDOKU
YELLOW BELT SUDOKU
ORANGE BELT SUDOKU
BLUE BELT SUDOKU
PURPLE BELT SUDOKU
RED BELT SUDOKU
POWER SUDOKU
MINI SUDOKU
SUDOKU DOUBLER
BONUS SUDOKU
SUDOKU JUNIOR
INSTANT SUDOKU
SCRATCH SUDOKU
COLORKU, THE COLOR SUDOKU PUZZLE
BICYCLE SUDOKU
TOTAL SUDOKU
MARTIAL ARTS SUDOKU EASY
MARTIAL ARTS SUDOKU NOT-SO-EASY
MARTIAL ARTS SUDOKU HARD
MARTIAL ARTS SUDOKU SUPER TOUGH
SUDOKU
BLACK BELT SUDOKU
BROWN BELT SUDOKU
GREEN BELT SUDOKU
WHITE BELT SUDOKU
MARTIAL ARTS SUDOKU
SUDOKU WORLD
DO YOU SUDOKU?
SUDOKU
SUDOKU WIZARD
SUDOKU DELUXE
SUDOKU
SUDOKU CHALLENGE
SUDOKU
SUDOKU
SUDOKU
SUDOKU CHAMPION
SUPER SUDOKU
MOUNTAINTOP SUDOKU
SUDOKU
SUDOKU

No further review of these marks was made--except to note that there are 74 pending marks with the word "SUDOKU" which we further note that eight marks include only the word "SUDOKU". In such a situation, those marks were likely filed for eight different classes of goods and/or services. The 74 marks may have been filed as USE applications or INTENT TO USE applications-meaning that the Applicant has an intent to use the mark with a particular good or service. If the marks are intent to use applications, it may provide an insight where, when or how SUDOKU plans to use the mark in the future; if the marks are use applications, then some of you may have already seen these usages of the marks! Certainly, we've seen "SUDOKU", but I can personally say that I haven't seen any of the other marks besides the use of the word "SUDOKU" alone.