Is Famed Trademark Troll Leo Stoller Trying To Stealthily Reclaim Bogus Stealth Trademarks?
Back in 2005, we wrote about the rather crazy case of Leo Stoller, the “trademark troll,” who claimed incredibly broad trademarks on single words (sometimes through questionable means) and then tried to shakedown pretty much anyone who used those words for cash. The key trademark he claimed to hold was on the word “stealth” for “all goods and services.” Among those he demanded money from were Columbia Pictures for the movie Stealth, baseball player George Brett for selling a “Stealth” brand baseball bat and (my favorite) Northrup Grumman for making the stealth bomber. One company he threatened, Pure Fishing, fought back hard. Just as he was about to lose, he tried declaring bankruptcy to protect himself, but after the bankruptcy judge found that his “filing contained bogus information and unreported assets,” the bankruptcy was converted into a liquidation, including not just Stoller’s corporate assets, but his personal assets as well. He was also barred from filing more trademark appli
