WWE's Vince McMahon Threatens Wine School For Having A Sommelier Smackdown

from the trademark-smackdown dept

Tue, Oct 13th 2009 3:40pm — Mike Masnick

Wrestling entertainment mogul Vince McMahon apparently thinks he controls the use of the word "smackdown" to describe non-wrestling competitions as well, as his lawyers have sent a cease and desist to the Wine School of Philadelphia for daring to have a Sommelier Smackdown competition. I wonder how many wines the average "moron in a hurry" would have to drink before thinking that the Sommelier Smackdown was somehow associated with World Wrestling Entertainment. Hopefully, the lawyers from the Wine School of Philadelphia will show McMahon how a Trademark Smackdown works.

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Filed Under: smackdown, sommelier, trademark, vince mchmahon, wine tasting
Companies: wine school of philadelphia, wwe

21 Comments

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PRMan, 13 Oct 2009 @ 4:19pm

I hope...
I hope they don't plan on serving any RAW wines in the near future...
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Freedom, 13 Oct 2009 @ 4:25pm

Idea...
I've got an idea - as part of getting a trademark on anything, you have to agree that any trademark disputes will first have to be submitted to a trademark board. This board will evalate x basic criteria. Unless you get their approval you can't go ahead and threaten or actually sue anyone for trademark abuse - period. Basically you need their stamp that you aren't a trademark moron.

Freedom
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2009 @ 4:30pm

Re: I hope...
Grape juice?
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RAW hate., 13 Oct 2009 @ 5:02pm

Re: Idea...
Ugh. Who's that jackass that sets his elbow in one hand and waves the other in front of his face in those ads? Is that a McMahon product? Makes me wanna hurl a full bottle of anything at the TV screen.

And I like your idea.
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Ernest Gallo, 13 Oct 2009 @ 5:08pm

In my best Randy Savage voice "Ohhh yeeeeaaaah!!!"
Can you smellllll what the vintner is fermenting?
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Randy Savage, 13 Oct 2009 @ 5:10pm

Re: I hope...
OK now I get it on my third read through. Funny.
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 13 Oct 2009 @ 5:21pm

Re: Idea...
That would pretty much be the USPTO. See how that's working out?
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2009 @ 7:54pm

Just for a little more context...
Okay, not that this trademark threat isn't utterly idiotic, but there is a little more behind it...at least, I think, if I have my facts right.

If my brief Googling of word etymology is correct, "smackdown" is a word coined by The Rock (famous wrestler, current actor) from his popular catchphrase "laying the smackdown". The TV Wrestling brand was later named after this catchphrase.

So, while it's still a ridiculous threat, it's slightly less ridiculous when you consider that word itself was created from one of McMahon's employees.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2009 @ 8:06pm

Re: Re: Idea...
Except the USPTO doesn't touch complaints, now do they? You've got a trademark complaint, you don't go to them, you get a lawyer. See how that's working out?
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Allen (profile), 13 Oct 2009 @ 8:08pm

Hmm Moron in a hurry?
I dont know, they may have a point: we're talking about wresting fans here...

/joke people, it's a joke
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2009 @ 9:08pm

Re: In my best Randy Savage voice "Ohhh yeeeeaaaah!!!"
Wasn't that The Rock?
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dalibor, 13 Oct 2009 @ 11:11pm

GO WWE!!!
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Dan, 14 Oct 2009 @ 12:27am

Re: Idea...
How about, if the plaintiff loses, he automatically forfeits treble the amount of his complaint to the defendant plus legal fees. That should damp things down a bit.
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Matt Ronas, 14 Oct 2009 @ 5:55am

I'm With Allen On This One
Most wrestling fan’s are pretty dumb, and while they don’t drink wine, they definitely put down a ton of beer -- that with an already low IQ… SOMMELIER SMACKDOWN WOOOOOO!!!!

And unlike Allen, I’m not joking
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Doc, 14 Oct 2009 @ 6:37am

Re: I'm With Allen On This One
I think you are wrong about wrestling fans. Yes, back in the day it was pretty redneck. However, in the 90s wrestling was the in thing. WWF/E and WCW shows were top rated shows on cable TV on Monday nights. As the decade closed wrestling became less chic.

I am a life long wrestling fan, I have a college degree, work in IT, I am an MCSE, CCNA, CNA, A+ and Net+ certs (all current). I don't think I have a low IQ. I have lots of friends that are professionals and are pretty damned smart as well. So I think you should look at the current demographics from the WWE before you shoot your uneducated mouth off about what makes up a particular sub-culture of people.

I do agree that Vince is a jack ass most of the time, but don't confuse the man with the character on TV. He's taken a small regional business and made it a world wide brand. The company is worth millions, and is still a top rated show on cable TV on Monday nights. Also RAW is one of the longest running shows on TV bar none.

Now his trademark suit is a joke. Frankly all these types of suits lately make me want to puke. Every time someone comes up with something new and cool, they are hauled in to court by these trolls because they hold a patent on this or that. This whole idea of IP has become a Pandora's box.
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 14 Oct 2009 @ 8:06am

Re: Re: Re: Idea...
"Except the USPTO doesn't touch complaints, now do they?"

Yeah, they do.
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/ttab/index.html
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RadialSkid, 14 Oct 2009 @ 9:02am

"Yes, back in the day it was pretty redneck."

He didn't say redneck. He said pretty dumb.

And funny how you call him "uneducated," when you took offense at his making the same assumption about wrestling fans.

Pot, meet kettle. You're both black.
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Beth - The Wine School, 15 Oct 2009 @ 9:21am

WWE vs. WSOP
Hey - I'm with the Wine School and wanted to say thanks for running the story! To add flames to the fire (perhaps?), the school is going to run a Red Wine Cagematch class! Check it out at www.vinology.com. Think Vince'll show up?
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undertaker, 5 Nov 2009 @ 9:09am

Vince McMahon is gone mad.
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Orion751 (profile), 20 Sep 2010 @ 5:24pm

McMahon Probably Got the Idea from the World Wildlife Fund
Found this story when googling to find out whether or not Techdirt covered the story that changed WWE's name from WWF (might be before this site emerged).

Something tells me that CM Punk had something to do with this though :).
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Orion751 (profile), 21 Sep 2010 @ 5:52pm

Not McMahon's Only Offense
It might be worth noting that WWE has tried to copyright moves and physical gestures.
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