NY Times Becomes A Trademark Bully Over A Logo For A Newspaper That Hasn't Existed In 40+ Years
from the all-the-bullying-that's-fit-to-print dept
What is it with the NY Times lately? The newspaper used to have actually been one of the more "reasonable" ones when it came to intellectual property issues. However, in just the last few weeks we've had stories about how it tried to takedown an RSS feed reader for using the NY Times' own RSS feed, as well as a story where the NY Times' chief IP lawyer hides behind copyright law to explain the NYT's refusal to post useful source documents.However, this latest one may the most bizarre of all. From 1924 to 1966 there was a daily newspaper published in NY called the NY Herald Tribune. It shut down in 1966, with a brief attempt at revival under a different name. In 1967, the NY Times and the Washington Post bought the European Edition of the paper, which was known as the International Herald Tribune, which had a separate website until recently when the NY Times (who bought out The Washington Post's half of the paper a few years back) decided to merge the IHT website into the NYT's own.
Either way, even with the operation of the IHT, the New York Herald Tribune has not actually been a newspaper since 1966. However, apparently many people have fond memories of the masthead of the paper, in part because of how it was portrayed on the t-shirt of actress Jean Seberg in the 1960 French film Breathless. Popular clothing shop Neighborhoodies recently decided to recreate the t-shirt on their own (photo from Consumerist):
![](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1324/4722155889_ece0159a41.jpg)
And here's where things get even more ridiculous. After Neighborhoodies made this position clear to the NY Times, the NY Times tried to route around the company and sent a takedown to the ISP who hosts Neighborhoodies' website. That ISP apparently didn't want to stand up for its customer, so Neighborhoodies quickly switched ISPs. Either way this seems like an entirely bogus trademark claim, topped off with an obnoxious attempt to route around the company once that company made it clear that it wasn't going to just fold over when the NY Times sent a nastygram.
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Filed Under: ny herald tribune, t-shirts, takedowns, trademark
Companies: neighborhoodies, ny times
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NY Slimes is a Rag
What a disreputable company they have become.
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Yikes!
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Re: Yikes!
But not really.
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Last dying gasps
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T-Shirts!
Only, they have to think of making the T-Shirt first.
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Dilution
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it follows - we IP Troll too!
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Removed
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I'm wondering what fees were paid for the rights to use the NYHT shirt in the original Breathless. I'm guessing none.
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Why the NYT needs to get paid for that is the case you really need to be making. So far you got nothing.
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It is the same thing...both abusing for profit, but the moral dilemma is should we continue to let the rich get richer and keep the poor man down?
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Are you saying I can't create a T-shirt that says Betamax?
What if it said Betamax (or NY HT) sucks?
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Same with patents. A patent should require a working model, with full details on how the device works. The laws are to simple and allow the rich to horde up anything they can think of for use a a much much later date...forcing the lil guy that actually wants to use the idea to pay royalties.
THAT is the real issue.
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Why does this shirt damage the NYT in any way, and why do they care?
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Of course, trademark law does not work that way. If you stop using a trademark it is considered abandoned. I believe that 44 years of no use is pretty clearly abandoned.
Funny, I thought you were such a bit supporter of IP laws that you would at least know what those laws say.
I guess facts are not important to you.
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Unsurprising, TAM.
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Trademark Bully?
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fashion has no copyright....
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But nope - instead of working hard to get the "news for you" - they are litigating.
So if you want news - might want to look elsewhere.
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I think the point is being missed (as usual)
Bully tactics, plain and simple.
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Neighborhoodies
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Neighborhoodies Herald Tribune Shirt
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