In a recent visit to New York City a girlfriend of mine took my picture with the Naked Cowboy and I gave him five bucks. Even though I grew up in San Diego and live in California now, I spent twenty years in Texas and I saw a lot of cowboys with some great hats. Robert Burck, the real name of the Naked Cowboy, not only has a great hat, he has developed a unique package that makes him stand out in the busy crowd always found in Times Square.
Today the New York Post reports that Burck is suing the Mars Candy Company because it dressed up an animated M&M to look much like the Naked Cowboy. Burck said in the New York Post, "'All I've got is my underwear. It's the most brilliant thing that's ever been created from a marketing perspective. You can't stop it,' said Burck, 37, who said he filed suit on the advice of lawyers and trademark experts."
The Naked Cowboy is one of 17 million one-person companies in the US and often these very small business owners don't think about protecting their ideas. And, in the digital world this gets even tougher for us little guys. You can learn more about protecting your intellectual property and your brand in this special episode of our show.
