MAD Magazine Trademark Win Over Don Martin Comics Appealed Again

The widow of longtime cartoonist Don Martin appealed a Florida federal court’s ruling that the publishers of MAD Magazine aren’t on the hook for trademark infringement by using his name and likeness in magazines and websites without permission.

The Southern District of Florida ruled in September that MAD wasn’t liable for infringement because Norma Martin failed to show that she owns a valid trademark for “Don Martin.” She hadn’t used her late husband’s name as an indicator of a source of goods since 2007, which means she lost her rights to the trademark, the district court ruled.

Norma Martin also ...