National Pork Board Threatening Breastfeeding Bloggers?
Thursday, February 1st, 2007;
-- Andy Beal |
UPDATE: It looks like the power of the blogosphere has caused the National Pork Board to apologize.
Oh my gosh, the whole trademark world just checked itself into the looney-bin.
Popular SEM star, Jennifer Laycock, just received a threatening letter from the National Pork Board, demanding she stop selling a t-shirt that helps raise money for baby-milk banks.
I received a letter this morning from Jennifer Daniel Collins, an attorney at Faegre & Benson that represents The National Pork Board. It stated, for the most part, that my use of the phrase “the other white milk” violates their trademark on the phrase “the other white meat.” As such, they’ve demanded that I remove the shirt, demanded that the image of the shirt be removed from any site I know of, demanded that I destroy any shirts that exist with the logo and demand that I not at any point in the future use the phrase in a commercially profitable way.
Are you kidding me? The National Pork Board thinks we’re going to confuse their trademark with breast milk? I can see it now, millions of confused consumers walking into their local grocery store and accidentally picking up a gallon, instead of some bacon and ham.
A trademark is not an absolute right to prevent other people from using it. It’s designed to prevent any confusion between the trademark owner and anyone trying to use a similar mark. Where’s the confusion here?
This is lunacy! Please help spread the word, and head over to Jennifer’s blog, if you have any ideas on how she can tell them to go away.
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February 1st, 2007 at 4:21 pm
lets all do blog posts with the words faegre & benson and the national pork board in the urls and the title and give them a reputation management problem? jennifer can jump on the seo contest reputation destroying band wagon
February 1st, 2007 at 4:47 pm
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February 1st, 2007 at 5:37 pm
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February 1st, 2007 at 10:22 pm
Andy, if the National Pork Council is threatening breastfeeding bloggers (as your title reads), we’re in trouble…
February 2nd, 2007 at 10:04 am
Jordan - took me a while to figure out your comment. Not sure whether to upload a “MP Supports Breastfeeding mothers” banner or have you go on sabbatical.
February 2nd, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Isn’t ham red?
February 2nd, 2007 at 7:12 pm
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February 6th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
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