NHL muscles car dealership to modify “Go Canucks Go†sign

Clicky.

I'm all for the league protecting its brand, but there must have been a better way for the league to go about this.

 

I don't believe there is any problem with the "Go Canucks Go" part.
I read most of the comments that people wrote for that article and what most people failed to identify....

The word Canucks is not copyrighted, however the logo is where we should be putting more emphasis as that is copyrighted by the league.
You can't use the Registered logo without authorization from the NHL.

 

What if he flew an NHL-licensed flag outside the building?

 

Ozz - It depends on if that flag was deemed to be for advertising purposes or not. Some car dealers pay a lot of money to sponsor the Canucks and therefore get to use their logo, players, team name and other exclusive things in their advertising for the dealership. Allowing non-sponsors to use copyrighted Canucks property in their advertisements is a huge slap in the face to the sponsors.

They may have trademarked the phrase "Go Canucks Go," but I bet the much clearer issue is the logo. That's a big dumb mistake by the dealership. Heck, I'd go so far as to say he probably knew or at least suspected it was illegal but was hoping no one would care.

 

Odd then that the only Canucks logo that turns up in the Canadian Trademarks Database is this one:



Also according to that database, the Canucks name and logo are registered to the team owners, not the league. Looking through the record (click logo for link) it has been passed from owner to owner since 1970.

Ironically, this happened at a Honda dealership. Honda has been the official car of the NHL since October 2008, when it announced a three-year deal with the league.

 

Its a car dealership so I have less sympathy then if it was a day care and the NHL was pitching a hissy fit that they are using hand paint logos on the wall or something like that.

 

Dealerships are privately owned franchises with rights to sell the manufacturers product in a determined territory. They do not have the right to associate themselves, as an individual dealership, with an international partner without consent from both parties. I believe their intentions were not to directly benefit from the logo, but the reality is that they deviated from standard protocol with their actions. They exposed themselves to reprocusions from both the NHL and Honda corporate.

 

It is crucial that the league and the team protect their inalienable right to use sweatshops to profit from that logo.

If they don't, the terrorists win.

Or something.

 

The dealership in question is free to utilize its advertising budget in a partnership with the Canucks if it sees fit to do so. I imagine that they have not done so, as a result was requested to remove the logo. The dealership has taken a good faith request and took it upon itself to run to the media with it. I don't believe this is good business practice in the long term, however will reap short term benefits from this decision.

 

I understand, ABD. The flip side is that culture isn't built on protected symbols, it's built on shared symbols. And a fan base is just a specific form of cultural expression.

In the long run, this level of protection hurts the team and the league as well.

IMO, etc.

 

Agreed, it is bad publicity. Which is why I believe it was a request of the "NHL" rather than the franchise. Given my experience, I could see the 'Nucks wanting to protect their interests if they have a lucrative deal with Dueck GM. This is pure speculation as I have no intimate knowledge of their advertising partners. Just saying there is likely more to this than just being nit-picky.

 

Courts, at least in the US, have taken a "use it or lose it" approach to copyright/trademarks. If you don't actively protect your protected symbol or phrase, you lose the rights to it that make it so lucrative in the first place.

Colleges have really been cracking down on high schools that use their logo and colors recently (at least, ones they can prove adopted those things after the college did). It's not great publicity, but it's really the only way to handle it legally.

 

I was going to say, who wants to be associated with a car dealership? Good on the NHL, time someone stuck it to those dealership.

(As a former VWoA employee who dealt A LOT with dealers, its amazing how many ***** are employed there.)

 

Nice generalization, Peter. I am sure the current vocation you are in the employ of has impecible integrity.

 

Yes, because car dealerships have such a shining reputation.

Also, my comments were more tongue in cheek than anything, I do in fact know there are ***** in every profession. Speaking of the whole logo thing, we would also send out letters threatening legal action to anyone selling stuff with the logo on it, I dont think anyone really cared though if you weren't making money off of it.

 

Oh, they care about things with logos on them, even if they're given away free, if it gets any sort of publicity.

 

I will leave the reputations of dealerships alone, as it is not really the topic at hand. I will, however, stand by my previous post in regards to the possibility that the Canucks franchise may have an advertising partner with another local dealership that could have rights that would be violated by this dealerships use of the Canucks logo. If that in fact is the case, the simple request of removing the logo is not only fair, but expected.

 

I suspect Mike Gillis is responsible for taking the fun away from that happy Honda dealership on The Kingsway..... Why?. Something to do with equations and percentages, the locations actual street address & Paul Kariya..... Dont ask.

 

Politics. Just awful! You wanna do something to show your support for something local and some ****** in a $3000 suit living 4000 miles away says "no" and that's it? It's pathetic.

 

Don't kid yourself. The Canucks initiated this. The NHL doesn't have trademark infringement investigators running around searching for unauthorized use. Someone from the Canucks management saw this and rather than take the risk of angering any fans, requested the League handle it.

The strategy is that since as fans we always want someone to blame for everything, is to have the League, the commissioner and his staff take the blame for anything that might anger fans. It's a perfect strategy. Fans grip about some attorney in a $3000 suit while they love and worship their team. Fans boo the commissioner when he presents the Cup, while loving their team. The teams collect the love and the cash while thanking the league office for playing "bad cop" for them.

 

The first thing I thought of were the high schools that have been strong-armed into changing their logos. What a lot of lawyers don't realize is that there are more amicable ways to enforce their clients' ownership of registered trademarks.

In this situation, I think a reasonable person could assume that it wasn't an advertisement, but a show of support. The use of the property was non-profitable and non-commercial, but a display of civic pride. That said, an agreement could have been reached that a token sum - say, a dollar - be exchanged, and that the logo and "Go Canucks Go" be removed upon the elimination of the team from the playoffs, so as not to confuse the dealership as a sponsorship partner, but simply a local business wishing to show support. Copyright protection is enforced, and the rightsholders stay on good terms with the people using the property. Win-win.

 

That makes sense - the other logos are likely in the US database, which thanks to treaties also applies to Canada. (Its the same way if I copyright something here - its copyrighted around most of the world).

 

In the playoffs you'll see team logos everywhere in Canadian cities. During the 04 Flames cup run every single square inch of the city was displaying the flaming C. From banks to pubs to pickup trucks. Odd the NHL would do this. Sometimes it seems the game means more to the fans than it does the league.

 

Team logos are property of the NHL

 

Yup. And the Mouse has been known to send cease-and-desist letters to pre-schools who had painted pictures of Pooh and Tigger on their walls and sue birthday party clowns using Pooh costumes.