Ravenwood - 08/04/04 04:00 PM
Watch out, because illegal usage of the letter 'W' could cost you big bucks if you aren't careful. The 'W' hotel chain is actively and agressively trying to protect their trademark, reports the New York Post gossip column:
THE W hotel chain is aggressively laying claim to the letter W, no matter what President Bush's nickname is. The group behind the chain, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., has fired off legal letters to two political merchandisers, demanding they remove the letter W — as in George W. Bush — from "apparel and accessories" they are selling. The offending items include baseball hats and T-shirts "that mimic the trade dress of the W hotels, which has the effect of eroding the unique brand identity developed in the W logo."Lucky for me, I've trademarked the letter 'R'. I had better not catch any of you using it either.
Category: Oddities
Comments (5) top link me
Don't wo--y -avenwood. We would neve- -ream of -ipping you off.
Posted by: Jeffro at August 4, 2004 4:23 PMIt's a publicity stunt: there is no feasible claim they can make that there is an intent to confuse or defraud people into thinking that use of the letter W in a political context in any way connotes equality with use of the letter W as a brand for their hotel chain.
Ever think this trademark stuff has gone too far? Again? It was bad enough when common phrases got trademarked - just do it, I'm loving it - but now single letters of the alphabet? "Due to trademark infringement, today's episode of Sesame Street will not be brought to you by the letter M or by the number 8. "
Posted by: Drew at August 4, 2004 6:48 PMFairchild puts out a magazine called W, a monthly companion (if you will) to Women's Wear Daily. (Do not ask why I know this.) Are they being sued also?
Posted by: CGHill at August 4, 2004 9:51 PMBut they aren't selling T-shirts, which apparently is the 'W' Hotel's core business.
Posted by: Ravenwood at August 4, 2004 10:06 PM(c) Ravenwood and Associates, 1990 - 2014
