OceanAnnie
I guess I have a thing against
- Joined
- May 5, 2004
- Messages
- 17,394
Saw this in the news tonight. A college student started a company and named it, "South Butt" as a spoof on North Face. Now N.F. is suing. Now S.B. products are flying off the shelves. The college student said it's the best Christmas present ever. 
North Face Didn't Get The Message; Sues South Butt
from the yeah,-that'll-go-over-well dept
Earlier this year, we wrote about how outdoor clothing firm North Face was seriously overreacting in threatening a small parody clothing manufacturer run by an 18-year-old student creating clothing under the "South Butt" brand name. At the time, we were amused by the boy's lawyer noting:
"I did try to explain with a great deal of candor to counsel for the North Face that the general public is aware of the difference between a face and a butt."
Well, now he may get the chance to explain that in court as well. Despite all of the publicity around those original threats, which resulted in many people trashing North Face for threatening this parody operation, North Face has apparently decided to still move forward with a lawsuit against the kid (thanks Jackie). Apparently, North Face has no sense of humor whatsoever. It's really amazing that no one at North Face paid much attention to what was being said online about the company even in bringing the threat of a lawsuit. Now that it's actually filed, the backlash may be an even bigger deal. While it is true that companies need to police misuses of their trademark, this was an opportunity for North Face to act cool about it (and, hell, why not just grant the kid a license). It would have made them look cool. Instead, they look like big corporate bullies, beating up on a kid who was having fun selling a parody line of clothing.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20091214/2350107352.shtml
______________________________________________
I thought the college student's lawyer had a funny response.
North Face Didn't Get The Message; Sues South Butt
from the yeah,-that'll-go-over-well dept
Earlier this year, we wrote about how outdoor clothing firm North Face was seriously overreacting in threatening a small parody clothing manufacturer run by an 18-year-old student creating clothing under the "South Butt" brand name. At the time, we were amused by the boy's lawyer noting:
"I did try to explain with a great deal of candor to counsel for the North Face that the general public is aware of the difference between a face and a butt."
Well, now he may get the chance to explain that in court as well. Despite all of the publicity around those original threats, which resulted in many people trashing North Face for threatening this parody operation, North Face has apparently decided to still move forward with a lawsuit against the kid (thanks Jackie). Apparently, North Face has no sense of humor whatsoever. It's really amazing that no one at North Face paid much attention to what was being said online about the company even in bringing the threat of a lawsuit. Now that it's actually filed, the backlash may be an even bigger deal. While it is true that companies need to police misuses of their trademark, this was an opportunity for North Face to act cool about it (and, hell, why not just grant the kid a license). It would have made them look cool. Instead, they look like big corporate bullies, beating up on a kid who was having fun selling a parody line of clothing.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20091214/2350107352.shtml
______________________________________________
I thought the college student's lawyer had a funny response.
