Celebrating In Court
by digby
Like Christy I regret not being around to celebrate Festivus with my readers yesterday, but it seems like it comes earlier every year, doesn’t it?
You know an American holiday is taking off when people start fighting over trademarks and patents:
A pole war is threatening to ruin Festivus.
Three manufacturers of the holiday decoration invented in a 1997 “Seinfeld” episode are in a battle over who deserves the right to trademark the name “Festivus pole.”On Dec. 26, 2005, Mountainmen Enterprises of Belle Vernon, Pa., applied to trademark the term for its metal holiday ornaments.
Nine months later, the Wagner Companies of Milwaukee, Wis., filed a counterclaim, saying it had been selling Festivus poles well before then.
Enter TheFestivusPole.com of Arlington, Va., which says its online business pre-dates Wagner’s.
Three weeks ago, after Mountainmen failed to respond, the Patent and Trademark Office ruled for Wagner, though Mountainmen has until Jan. 6 to appeal.
This is actually in keeping with one of the most important Festivus rituals — the airing of the grievances.
Happy belated Festivus everyone.
.