Famous Copyrights
This company owns the movie Frozen and the song “Let It Go.”
Who is The Walt Disney Company?
This company patented the smartphone design that includes a touchscreen with no physical keyboard, used in the iPhone.
Who is Apple?
This company has trademarked the shape of its glass bottle, not just its logo or name.
Who is The Coca-Cola Company?
This fast-food chain keeps its fried chicken recipe secret, claiming it uses a blend of 11 herbs and spices.
Who is KFC?
This fast-food company once sent legal complaints to small businesses for using names that included the prefix “Mc” (like McCoffee or McSomething), leading to criticism that it was going too far protecting its trademark.
What is McDonald's?
This streaming company produces shows like Stranger Things and owns the rights to its original episodes.
Who is Netflix?
This company patented the “one-click purchase” system that lets you buy items instantly without re-entering payment info every time.
Who is Amazon?
This company has trademarked a specific shade of robin’s egg blue used on its packaging and shopping bags.
Who is Tiffany & Co.?
This soft drink company keeps its original soda formula locked away, with only a few people knowing the full recipe.
Who is The Coca-Cola Company?
This singer tried to trademark the phrase “This Sick Beat,” made famous in one of her hit songs.
What is Taylor Swift?
This company owns characters like Spider-Man and Iron Man, and controls how their movies and stories are used.
Who is Marvel Studios? (Accept also: The Walt Disney Company)
This company holds patents for electric cars and battery technology used in vehicles.
Who is Tesla?
This delivery company has trademarked a hidden arrow in its logo that many people don’t notice at first.
Who is FedEx?
This search company’s biggest trade secret isn’t a product—it’s the algorithm that decides what results you see first.
Who is Google?
This major movie studio once challenged a small brewery for naming a beer Voldemort, claiming it used a protected character name.
What is Warner Bros.?
This music company owns the rights to many hit songs, including tracks by Taylor Swift (at certain points in her career), and licenses them for use in movies, ads, and videos.
Who is Universal Music Group? (Accept other major labels if students justify: Sony Music Entertainment)
This company patented a system for streaming movies and shows efficiently over the internet, helping make binge-watching possible on platforms like their own service.
Who is Netflix?
This company has trademarked a three-stripe design used across its clothing and shoes—even when the brand name isn’t visible.
Who is Adidas?
This company’s success relies heavily on a secret recommendation algorithm that suggests shows and movies based on your viewing habits.
Who is Netflix?
This video game company sent cease-and-desist letters to fan-made projects that recreated or modified its older games, arguing it was protecting its intellectual property even when fans saw it as preservation.
What is Nintendo?
This company didn’t create the song, but if you upload a copyrighted song on their platform, they may remove it or give ad money to the copyright owner.
Who is YouTube?
This company has patents for self-driving car technology, including systems that detect pedestrians and traffic patterns automatically.
Who is Google?
This company has aggressively defended its trademark to prevent its brand name from becoming a generic term for searching the internet.
Who is Google?
This company doesn’t patent its exact manufacturing process for its popular interlocking bricks, choosing instead to keep parts of production secret to stay competitive.
Who is The LEGO Group?
This candy company sued another business over using the color purple on chocolate packaging, claiming customers would confuse the brands.
What is Cadbury?