[OWMStorenews] VW suit over wire cars

[Laura Wendell]

I have had several replies to my posting yesterday about the cease and 
desist order from Volkswagen.  I am sending an update and personal 
opinion from Kevin at Global Crafts below.  Others have pointed out that 
VW does have a responsibility to protect their trademark or they could 
risk losing it, but that they certainly could grant permission for TEMAK 
to make the product.  The official procedure for requesting permission 
is to send duty free samples to Germany with an application fee - not 
something the girls at TEMAK would have had an easy time doing.  
However, it might have been wiser for Global Crafts not to describe the 
wire car as a Volkswagen on their web site (opinion around the store is 
that it could just as easily be a Citroen).  My opinion - and let me 
make it clear that I am not speaking for the store, our board or 
volunteers - is that the C & D letter is like using a sledgehammer to 
squash a fly and there is way too much of that sort of intimidation in 
the world already - even if VW is legally right.  But as my mother in 
law says "food is cooked hotter than it is eaten" and this whole 
situation may be easier to swallow when it cools off.  In the mean time, 
I hope everyone will keep expressing their opinions to the outlet of 
their choice.

"We have been lucky enough to get some  help from lightyearsip.net who work
to try to alleviate poverty in developing countries through the use of
Intellectual Property. They are a non profit - basically a group of lawyers.
Apparently they had a similar C & D letter a few years ago for Ten Thousand
Villages. They said they need a couple of days to get to the bottom of the
thing. It seems that TTV got an agreement out of VW a few years ago.
Personally I am opposed to even giving VW the pleasure of winning in
principle even if the result is we can sell the product. I personally find
it incredible that a trademark owner can prevent art, after all this is not
a manufactured product.

I will keep you informed as it goes on.

Kevin"


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