NAMBA 1/10th Scale FE Class Proposal in March 2009 Propwash...

[Steven Vaccaro]

I believe these big companies do this once in a while to both protect their trademark and keep their attorneys on staff busy. Nike did this in the jewelry business years ago. A friend of mine was selling a piece of jewelry she bought from a manufacturer. A Nike representative came into her store under cover and took a picture of it, later that week she received a demand letter for about 10k and a picture of her shop and showcase with the jewelry in it. It was cheaper for her and the other 800 or so other shops to pay the 10k each than it would have cost to hire an attorney of her own.

[Bill-SOCAL]

I believe these big companies do this once in a while to both protect their trademark and keep their attorneys on staff busy..

I don't think this is a make work issue for their staff. Companies spend a lot of time and expense protecting their trademarks. Fraud and counterfeiting costs them a lot of money each year. I know that for many it is a full time effort. We just see little snippets of it when it intersects our world.

I just do not see the big deal here. Companies have every right to protect their property. We all get our bowls in an uproar when we think someone has splashed a design, but when a company tries to protect their trademark we talk boycotts and evil lawyers. Amusing.

Most companies do not mind the private, non-commercial use ot their logos, etc. It is when you start making money, no matter how small the amount, that they seem to care. And I have no issue with that approach.

One final thought, there are in fact some lawyers who act on their own more or less in a predatory manner like Steven described. They are scum. However, most situations that I have knowledge of it was either cease and desist or pay up. Not both.

[AndyKunz]

That guy, Steve, sounds like an extortioner, not a corporate lawyer. The corporate lawyers I've met have all been generally reasonable people. He probably laughed all the way to the bank, and was only going to tell the company about the infringing products if somebody DIDN'T pay him first (because he knew the company wasn't about to pay him - they already have lawyers for that).

Andy