Activists May Use Their Targets' Trademarks 203
lee1 writes "Sometimes political activists use a company's trademark as part of a campaign to embarrass it or call attention to an issue. And sometimes the company sues, claiming that they own the mark and its satirical use is prohibited. Now a Utah court has ruled that such suits must fail because the parodic use of the mark is not commercial and is a form of protected speech."
Also (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A big victory... (Score:5, Insightful)
Im shocked it came out of a US court at all.
Re:A big victory... (Score:5, Insightful)
Im shocked it came out of a US court at all.
You may not have to endure that shock for long.
An appeal may be forthcoming, with a properly prepped judge.
Re:A big victory... (Score:2, Insightful)
Where's all this Utah hate coming from? I spent a year there, and didn't think the culture was any different from any other US state (except possibly california).
Re:Also (Score:5, Insightful)
Simple. You stack the panels with consumer advocates with baseball bats.
Re:A big victory... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Also (Score:0, Insightful)
So the People Eating Tasty Animals satire site for PETA should not have been sued to oblivion then?
Or does this ruling depend on whether you like the plaintiff or defendant more?