-
Trademarking The Little Tree
The Little Tree air freshener was invented in 1952 in New York by Julius Sämann, who spent 5 years extracting pine needle oil in the "cold Canadian wilderness"-- as the Little Tree website puts it. Julius came up with the shape, the name, and even the pine scented fragrance. To protect their brand, the Julius Sämann company recently started placing full page ads in magazines. The ads inform readers that not only does Julius Sämann own the trademark for the Little Tree shape, they also have a team of lawyers on standby to take down impostors. So while the Little Tree Car-Freshener is a worldwide icon, it goes to remind us that there are roots-- and lawyers-- behind every brand.