Did you listen to his “Rethinking Intellectual Property” course yet? I remember linking to it and discussing some of it with you in that large IP topic in early October:
https://forum.freecapitalists.org/t/intellectual-property-in-the-arts-how-to-enforce/24808/36
Here is a Trademark article:
http://www.stephankinsella.com/2010/02/the-trademark-horror-file/
Here are one of my favorites, “Quaker Oats” (Oatmeal company) trying to sue “Quaker Oaks” (Tree farm company owned and run by actual Quakers):
http://c4sif.org/2012/06/quaker-oaks-trademark-thieves/
The companies selling the products have to make sure that they are actually selling what their customers want. The company itself will lose reputation if they begin defrauding customers.
Let us say 1/3 of the customers love actual Coca Cola, and hate anything that is different, 1/3 don’t care whether it is Coca Cola or generic, and 1/3 love generic, and hate Coca Cola:
Store A: Only sells “Coca Cola” (knockoff brand that copies the labels/bottle shape, but has a slightly different recipe).
Store B: Sometimes sells actual Coca Cola, sometimes sells “Coca Cola”, and mixes all the bottles together so you don’t know which is which.
Store C: Sells actual Coca Cola, does background checks, makes sure they are purchasing it from the official Coca Cola factory.
Store D: Is like Store C, except they clearly label their products as Coca Cola and “Coca Cola.”
How would the stores rank in profits? Why?