[Packer Fan]

We have used the website - the villages 4 rent - to great effect to rent our villages home. To be honest, the easier the villages makes it to rent, the more people will buy houses, so the website helps them.

I just got an email that the developer is filing a lawsuit about their name, so they are changing it to - Villagers homes 4 rent. REALLY? I am a big supporter of the developer, but this is petty and frankly STUPID.

So my question is - how long before this website will be forced to change its name to Talk of the Villagers?

Thoughts?

[shcisamax]

Same thing for TheVillagesFSBO.com They will now be TheVillagersFSBO.com

[Buffalo Jim]

My responsibilities for 35 years included creating product names and protecting my employer`s Trade Styles , Slogans and Trademarks as a senior marketing manager .

In order to maintain Legal Rights to a Trade Mark / Corporate Brand name / product name etc . It is encumbent on the part of the owner of the " Mark / Trade-style / Product Name " to " defend " in writing their exclusive right to it .
" defend " their exclusive right to it .
Failure to do so causes the Owner of the Trade-Style to eventually lose their exclusive right to it and folks like me to lose my job !

[Packer Fan]

Originally Posted by Buffalo Jim

My responsibilities for 35 years included creating product names and protecting my employer`s Trade Styles , Slogans and Trademarks as a senior marketing manager .

In order to maintain Legal Rights to a Trade Mark / Corporate Brand name / product name etc . It is encumbent on the part of the owner of the " Mark / Trade-style / Product Name " to " defend " in writing their exclusive right to it .
" defend " their exclusive right to it .
Failure to do so causes the Owner of the Trade-Style to eventually lose their exclusive right to it and folks like me to lose my job !

That is all true, by the book. However, they could have negotiated to charge them $1.00 for the rights or maybe 3% of the profits or something - not just cease and desist. Pretty lame.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Packer Fan

That is all true, by the book. However, they could have negotiated to charge them $1.00 for the rights or maybe 3% of the profits or something - not just cease and desist. Pretty lame.

It may look that way but I represented Rebok Apparel and they ,like most brands were very careful of defending it against bootleggers. It's just good business, and anyone in business will understand it.


I would if I were them

See what THE LIMITED would do if a clothing chain opened with a name like Limited Deux,They would be all over it.

[njbchbum]

I believe the new name for the rental website was posted here earlier today:
The villages4rent website

[Ooper]

The developer has also ordered numerous vendors at our town squares to change their names at the squares if they contained the word "village" in it, even if they have used that name for over a decade. Seems pretty trivial to me!

[karostay]

Wonder if the Village People will get sued and loose all the money they made?

New song ......Sleeping at the YMCA

[bagboy]

I think renters will find the website with their new name. Not a big deal.

[looneycat]

Originally Posted by Ooper

The developer has also ordered numerous vendors at our town squares to change their names at the squares if they contained the word "village" in it, even if they have used that name for over a decade. Seems pretty trivial to me!

not really trivial as it is essentially identity theft.

[Ooper]

I disagree, not identity theft if the word "village", not "The Villages" or even "villages" is used. Look at all the business in the area that use "village" in their title. I could probably name a 100 businesses from Village View Community Church and the Unity Church of the Villages to the Village Dental Group to name a few. Is the developer going to sue all of them too??? We'll see.

[Abby10]

Can someone clarify - is it "villages" or just the use of "the villages" that is the issue? Seems to me it would just be the latter. Anyone know for sure?

Also, as previous poster stated - what about the use of the word "village"?

It makes sense to me that the owners would protect the use of "The Villages". It would be their right and obligation to do so.

[JMEZARIC3]

Originally Posted by Packer Fan

We have used the website - the villages 4 rent - to great effect to rent our villages home. To be honest, the easier the villages makes it to rent, the more people will buy houses, so the website helps them.

I just got an email that the developer is filing a lawsuit about their name, so they are changing it to - Villagers homes 4 rent. REALLY? I am a big supporter of the developer, but this is petty and frankly STUPID.

So my question is - how long before this website will be forced to change its name to Talk of the Villagers?

Thoughts?

The banner at the top of the web page reads "Talk of the Villages" with a small TM at the upper right of the s. My guess is that the website has permission to use the trademark.

[DeanFL]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

It may look that way but I represented Rebok Apparel and they ,like most brands were very careful of defending it against bootleggers. It's just good business, and anyone in business will understand it.


I would if I were them

See what THE LIMITED would do if a clothing chain opened with a name like Limited Deux,They would be all over it.

-------------

Gracigirl speaks the truth.

Little known fact - because of her, George and Gracie HAD to change their billing to 'Burns & Allen' many years ago.
Hard to imagine what success they may have had if our Gracie didn't press the issue...

[Abby10]

Originally Posted by DeanFL

-------------

Gracigirl speaks the truth.

Little known fact - because of her George and Gracie HAD to change their billing to 'Burns & Allen' many years ago.
Hard to imagine what success they may have had if our Gracie didn't press the issue...

Now that's funny!!