Can Fox Sue Franken?

News Corp., owner of the Fox network, is suing Al Franken for using the phrase “fair and balanced” in the title of his new book. According to News Corp., Franken would “blur and tarnish” the phrase that Fox has trademarked to describe itself to viewers. Chris Suellentrop examined ownership of the phrase “Let’s roll” in this February 2002 “Explainer,” which also discussed the difference among patents, trademarks, and copyrights. (Trademarks were explored further in this “Explainer Mailbag.”)