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2007 saw a 10% growth in trademark applications on 2006, creating a new record.  In fact, not since the .com boom have so many applications been filed, and our eco-green-organic-earth-friendly marketeers are leading the way.  Applications for trademarks with "green" in the name more than doubled in 2007, often with multiple companies vying for the same trademark.  This is no blip though; 2007 was the third year in a row that "green" outstripped the overall application growth.

The report from Dechart, a US Law firm, also noted that "clean" is often used in conjunction with "green".  They counted 74 occasions where the words were used together.  They spotted multiple applications for "Clean Green", "Green is Clean", and "Clean & Green", usually for domestic cleaning products.

Not surprisingly, eco-trademarks also doubled in 2007 with nearly 900 applications.  The authors of the report joked that "if all the new ECO-branded products filed in 2007 actually came to market, an ECO CITIZEN could buy an ECOHOUSE in ECOTOWN from an ECO REALTOR. Clad in ECO STUCCO and topped with an ECOROOF, the house would be equipped with an ECO HEATER, ECO HANGERS in the ECO CLOSET, an ECO JOHN and ECO SHOWER (accompanied by ECO TOWELS), and an ECO RUG on the floor."  And if you think EcoJohn is far fetched... www.ecojohn.com.

It's reassuring to know that in a world which seems to be increasingly aggressive, "friendly" rates so highly with applicants for trademarks.  The report found that of the 180 filings for trademarks with "friendly" in the mark, 30 contained "eco-friendly" and another 30 contained "earth-friendly".

So what does this tell us?  Expect to see more eco-green-organic-earth-friendly products this year.