Re: of copywrites and registered TMs


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Posted by Anthony on October 04, 2002 at 13:35:19:

In Reply to: of copywrites and registered TMs posted by wondering on October 04, 2002 at 03:23:38:

I know this isn't an excuse for using someone's copyrighted title without their permission, but does anyone else think that sometimes the copyright owner is a little bit unreasonable? Seems to me that sometimes people forget why we started all of this.. it's especially a shame when the person who's forgetting why we're doing this is one of the people who started it all.

example 1: a collegiate tuba studio plans to have their annual [name of event here] in October as they've done every year, begining well before the name of the event was "owned" by someone else. The professor in this studio is contacted by his "best friend" who happens to be the copyright holder of the name of the event, who demands that he either pay him $xxx, or change the name of the event(hence the birth of "Falubafest").

example 2: same situation, but with a non profit organization. The leader of the group is someone whom the copyright holder has credited with coming up with the name in the first place. In this case, litigation was threatened against the organiser of the event.

Neither of the groups stood to make any kind of profit from the event.. they just wanted to show the general public that nice music can be made on tubas, which is all that mattered to anyone involved. Music, hall rentals, refreshments for the audience, travel expenses and time, all donated and paid for by the persons involved, and credit was given where it was due(and in my opinion, even where it wasn't due).

So to your ponderance:

"...I am wondering if these events are being conducted with the approvals of the trademark/copyright holders."

I have to wonder out loud that.. I wonder what the trademark/copyright holders' motivations are for "owning" the names of these activities. I understand why they need to be owned by someone in our circle of cohorts, but in some situations it's seemed to me that the main motivation of a certain copyright holder has been to line his own pockets.



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