GOP Threatens CafePress Over Shirts, Stickers and Logos

GOP Threatens CafePress Over Shirts, Stickers and Logos

By David Kravets

The Republican National Committee is threatening to sue CafePress for hosting an online venue for vendors to hawk GOP-related regalia like T-shirts, stickers and portrayals of elephants.

The committee, as it turns out, owns the trademarks to "GOP," "Grand Old Party," "Republican National Committee," "RNC" and the official GOP elephant logo.

Sean Cairncross, the party's chief counsel, wrote (.pdf) the Foster City, California online vendor that the GOP "takes infringements upon its trademarks seriously."

"Please cease and desist from allowing vendors to utilize the federally registered trademarks of the RNC or we will be forced to consider a legal remedy," Cairncross wrote CafePress.

CafePress attorney Paul Alan Levy, of Public Citizen, noted Thursday that some uses of the party's trademarks are critical of the GOP, but many are not.

"The majority of the images over which the RNC has threatened to sue reflect positive opinions about Republicans," he said. "Several designs simply put the elephant logo on a T-shirt, so that the wearer can walk around bragging about his or her adherence to Republicanism."

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http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/07/gop-threatening.html

The GOPers are such business-oriented folks, aren't they?

RNC needs cash?

Complaining about merchandise that is positive toward your cause is pretty stupid, especially when they need all the help they can get. Well, it's good they are screwing themselves, it makes it all the more easier for Democrats to win.

and spell out the "Grant Our Pardons" slogan... No copyright infringement involved. :evilgrin:

n/t

...why is the GOP suddenly getting all litigious?

;-)

Yes. The free range trial lawyers that roam our countryside with nothing better to do than inject themselves into copyright infringement issues against the wishes of even their clients.

But I think they should trademark and own phrases like "Global War on Terror" and "Regular/Real Americans" and slogans like "Fight 'em there so we don't have to fight 'em here" and "Tax cuts always increase revenues," etc.