Man accuses RNC of stealing his 'W' logo, $100M federal trial opens Nov. 7

[kurth]

Designer of a Bush logo seeks a 'W' in courtroom
RNC denies ripping off his copyrighted idea for a popular campaign sticker
By MARK BABINECK

This lawsuit was brought to you by the letter W. The wildly popular oval "W" stickers sported nationwide by supporters of President Bush's 2004 re-election bid are at the center of a federal copyright case in Texarkana. This week, a judge set a Nov. 7 trial date.

Jerry Gossett of Wichita Falls claims the stickers are based on his idea, which he copyrighted in 2001. He accuses the Republican National Committee and campaign material maker Spalding Group of stealing his concept after he pitched it to them. A plaintiff's expert has estimated damages at $100 million, defense attorneys said. The RNC and Louisville, Ky.-based Spalding Group deny the allegations and are preparing to fight it out at Texarkana's federal courthouse.

"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 Group, which has produced materials for GOP presidential campaigns since 1984. "They're just completely, totally dissimilar." Gossett's design, which his attorney said was inspired by the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, shows a serifed capital W and a period, a twice-creased U.S. flag flying slightly downward from the W's right side, and the number 43, representing Bush's place in the line of American presidents. The 2004 campaign sticker features a block W with a twice-creased flag flying straight out of its right side. Underneath the flag is the campaign year, '04, slightly italicized.

"(Gossett) came up with this design, went to an attorney and got it copyrighted," said William Altman, the Wichita Falls lawyer representing Gossett's company, Rally Concepts. "He showed it to representatives of the RNC in Austin at a meeting and was later told they couldn't use his design." Gossett ran it past Spalding Group without success and, in 2003, then-RNC chairman Ed Gillespie, who initially expressed interest before sending a letter saying the committee wasn't going to use it, the lawsuit said. In a court filing, the RNC confirms the meeting...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4173995.html

[jmowreader]

1. This doesn't look like a well-grounded suit, but there IS one...

that someone should pursue.

W is a brand of hotel, and the logo for it is a sans-serif W with the word "Hotels" under it.

A popular Bush bumper sticker is a black square bearing a serifed W with the words "The President" (some versions say "Still The President!") under it, in an arrangement very much like the W Hotels logo.