EBay stakes claim to the word ‘it’

Online auctioneer eBay Inc. has begun trying to keep other companies from using the rather pedestrian phrases at the heart of its 11-month-old “it” marketing campaign.

The foundation for the new effort was first laid in March, when eBay asked federal authorities to grant it trademarks for the phrases “You Can Get It On eBay” and “You Can Sell It On eBay,” in which the word “it” is in three colors, while the rest is presented in black and white.

The San Jose, Calif.-based company is also seeking a third trademark to keep others from using the word “it” when the word appears in the same hues as eBay’s marketing material.

Most recently, eBay began defending the trademark-in-waiting in courts. For instance, last Wednesday, eBay filed a trademark-infringement lawsuit against World Auctions Inc., a five-month-old company based in Chicago.

In the suit, eBay alleges World Auctions is a “blatant copycat” because, among other things, it uses the same “it” phrases, and colors the word “it” the same manner as eBay’s site or marketing material.

A spokesman for World Auctions did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment. According to its Web site, the business has 1,000 members that may or may not be actively trading at any one time.

•Two influential agencies lowered Ford Motor Co.’s credit ratings a notch deeper into junk territory Tuesday, four days after the automaker announced a revised turnaround plan that calls for 10,000 more white-collar job cuts and two additional plant closures.

Moody’s Investors Service lowered Ford’s rating to B3 from B2 and the rating of its financing arm, Ford Motor Credit Co., to B1 from Ba3. Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services lowered the long-term ratings of Ford and Ford Credit to B from B-plus and their short-term ratings to B-3 from B-2. Ratings cuts can boost borrowing costs.

•Yahoo Inc.’s third-quarter results will be hurt by what appears to be a slowdown in the growth of auto and financial advertising, the Internet company’s chief financial officer said Tuesday. Its stock fell 12 percent.

As a result, Yahoo is likely to report results in the lower half of the range it had forecast in July for revenue. Other key financial measures, such as cash flow, also are expected to be impacted.

Sue Decker, speaking at an investor conference sponsored by Goldman Sachs, said it was too early to tell whether the slowdown would spread to other areas or how long it would last.