What rights do you imagine grant ownership of the word "flipper" exactly? I believe there's only four IP rights granted in US; Trade/Service mark, Patent, Copyright and Trade Secret? Which of those could possibly prevent a electronic device have same name as a TV Show?
...let's say instead of a dolphin named flipper, the character / avatar on the product was a plumber with a big mustache named "Mario".
You're telling me Nintendo isn't filing a C&D?
Trademarks don't work that way. You don't get to own all uses of a word, only a word in a particular field (like the use of "Flipper" in names for TV shows).
Yeah, except this isn't just the word "Flipper". Its the word Flipper with a dolphin avatar.
To a IP judge this is a product thats marketed as a "Tamagochi-like device with a dolphin called Flipper". Its not even a hard stretch to say that this would confuse an unsavvy consumer who might think this devices was a "Flipper the Dolphin Tamagochi".
What rights do you imagine grant ownership of the word "flipper" exactly? I believe there's only four IP rights granted in US; Trade/Service mark, Patent, Copyright and Trade Secret? Which of those could possibly prevent a electronic device have same name as a TV Show?