Which Does More Damage To Your Reputation: A Non-Competitor Using A Similar Name, Or Filing A Lawsuit That Pisses Off Many Potential Clients?

from the simple-calculations dept

Judith Lindenau points us to the news that a guy named Daniel Rothamel, who is apparently a well-known, well-respected blogger in the real estate world, is facing a questionable trademark infringement lawsuit because he blogs under the name the Real Estate Zebra. The company suing him, the Lones Group, claims to publish a blog and newsletter under the names The Zebra Blog and The Zebra Report. So, they're claiming infringement, because there can apparently be only one zebra in the real estate world. It's worth pointing out here that the Lones Group apparently is not actually in the real estate business itself, but provides marketing services to real estate agents.

Except, as the blog above notes, it seems that plenty of real estate agents know and like Rothamel, and they don't look too kindly on the Lones Group for suing him over what feels like a pretty frivolous complaint. The blog post above goes through a sampling of Twitter statements concerning the Lones Group and basically finds a bunch of real estate agents (remember: these are the people Lones is targeting as customers) bashing them for suing Rothamel. In typical legal fashion, the lawsuit asserts that Rothamel, in using his blog's name, has caused the Lones Group massive damage, but the blog post linked above points out that filing the lawsuit seems likely to have caused a lot more damage in pissing off a whole bunch of its potential customers.
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Filed Under: blogging, daniel rothamel, real estate, trademark, zebra
Companies: lones group


Reader Comments

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  1. icon
    Ccomp5950 (profile), 7 Mar 2011 @ 7:38pm

    This is a simple case of "they rank higher in Google than us, baaaaaaaaaaaah".

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. icon
    Ccomp5950 (profile), 7 Mar 2011 @ 7:55pm

    Re:

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. icon
    Ccomp5950 (profile), 7 Mar 2011 @ 8:03pm

    Re: Re:

    I can't find where they have a trademark registered with the federal government.

    http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=searchss&state=4010:jgsb4d.1.1

    I would find it funny if "The Real Estate Zebra" registred the trademark now and then told them they can shove off, if that would be legal.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    abc gum, 7 Mar 2011 @ 8:08pm

    They appear to be animals of different stripes.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. icon
    Kevin (profile), 7 Mar 2011 @ 10:51pm

    Rothamel (defendant)
    makes offer to (plaintiff)to end lawsuit.

    http://www.realestatezebra.com/in-which-i-explain-my-decision-to-retire-the-stripes

    I t was a small sub-set of the real estate tech community that was

    Lones was bullied by subset.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. icon
    The eejit (profile), 7 Mar 2011 @ 11:58pm

    Re:

    o.o I see what you did thar. -.-

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. icon
    Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 8 Mar 2011 @ 3:01am

    Suing people is a viable business plan

    The RIAA and MPAA have been doing it for years. You don't really need to rely on customers liking you or your product if you can take their money without having to provide them with goods or services.

    I think it's called the barter system or something. Like when you exchange your reputation and goodwill for the piggy banks of 8-year-olds.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. icon
    ltlw0lf (profile), 8 Mar 2011 @ 12:21pm

    Re:

    I t was a small sub-set of the real estate tech community that was

    Lones was bullied by subset.


    Not sure how to take this. From everything I read, Lones is the one bullying Rothamel. How you can say that Lones was bullied by anyone relies on facts not in evidence. Denise Lones decided to sue Rothamel without first even contacting him in person.... And over a trademark which may not even be valid in the first place.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. icon
    Vladimir (profile), 12 Apr 2012 @ 3:14pm

    trademark

    Yes.It would be really funny if "The Real Estate Zebra" registred the trademark now

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Edward, 5 Jun 2014 @ 12:34pm

    Edward

    Lawsuit will surely pisses them off.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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