Republican 'W' flap heads to court

[deadparrot]

TEXARKANA, Texas, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- A Texas man claims the Republican National Committee stole his "W" logo and he wants millions of dollars in damages.

Jerry Gossett of Wichita Falls filed a copyright infringement suit against the committee and Spalding Group, a Louisville, Ky., consulting firm that designed the official "W" logo for the 2004 campaign, the Houston Chronicle reports. A federal judge in Texarkana scheduled trial for Nov. 7.

Gossett copyrighted his logo in 2001. The design includes a capital W. with a period, a U.S. flag with two creases in it flying somewhat downward to the right and the number 43. The design he is challenging has a black W with a U.S. flag with two creases flying straight out and "04" underneath.

"I don't think that two people could look at both of these logos and say one was copied from the other," said Ted Jackson, founder of Spalding. "They're just completely, totally dissimilar."

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060910-120745-7807r

[Fridays Child]

1. What? The Republicans stole something? That just can't be!

/sarcasm

[heliarc]

2. I guess that's fair...

Since intellectually that's about the only idea that these morons could come up with maybe intellectual property laws don't quite work for republicans who see such designs completely "dissimilar". Perhaps we should domesticate these primitive peoples (re-pugs?) and keep them as pets. Or perhaps we should let them just eat their own young.

[aaronbees]

3. How sweet it would be....

if the plaintiff won. This trial's happening in my town and have heard no one talking about it. But I've seen a lot fewer W stickers in the last year; so much so that I'm actually surprised to see them.

[Dem2theMax]

4. They couldn't even come up with their own LOGO?

Of a "W?" LMAO!

Yep, it stands for "worst," without a doubt.

[tanyev]

5. Awwwww. A big, bad corporation stole your design, Mr. Gossett?

Welcome to the ownership society you've been voting for. A few more years and you might not even have the right to sue them.

[bigworld]

6. Gossett's design, FYI

[Gman]

7. this is not new

I wish I had links, but this didn't just start. It's been ongoing for quite a while. Apparently this guy won't go away.