Ever wonder what happens to brands that lie dormant for years?

Michael Reich, owner of Brands USA Holdings, just auctioned 170 product and corporate names and found out firsthand. It was a fascinating exercise.

Familiar name brands like Meister Brau, Braniff and Old Nick candy bars all sold, as bidders gathered at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York for the auction.

Collier's, the once-venerable weekly magazine that published the works of Hemingway, Cather, Lewis, Salinger and Vonnegut, shut down in 1957, sold as a trademark for $2,000 to John Elduff, a 20-year-old student (!) from Philadelphia.Continue reading...

Adidas makes brands central to its ambitious growth plans. 

Amazon offers revenue-sharing deal to publishers for Kindle.

Boeing encounters emergency landing of a test version of its 787 Dreamliner.

Brands USA puts its holdings of classic brands, including Braniff and Meister Brau, on the block.

General Motors posts net income of nearly $2 billion ahead of IPO.

Google becomes target of group that wants to probe its ties to President Obama. The company gives its staff a 10 percent raise anyway.

Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. restaurant chains launch mobile apps.

Procter & Gamble and L’Oreal rank among the top advertising spenders in China.

Sears says its stores will be open on Thanksgiving Day.

Volkswagen may be eyeing Ferrari as an acquisition target.

Wendy’s tests new line of burgers named for its founder. Meanwhile, a grown-up Wendy stars in the chain’s TV spots.