Politician Who Tried To Hijack Critic's Blog Via Trademark Applications Agrees To Never Pull This Bullshit Again

from the shove-the-shame-you-don't-have-into-a-ziploc-bag-and-GTFO-of-office-thx dept

Tue, Dec 18th 2018 10:42am — Tim Cushing

In one of the more blatant attempts at censorship we've witnessed, a Minnesota politician tried to trademark the name of a politically-focused blog that often criticized her. Tax board member Carol Becker tried to take the name "Wedge LIVE!" away from its owner, John Edwards, who had been using the name for years to cover local politics. Becker first claimed she thought of the name herself, which she thought would be perfect for her yet-unrealized podcast covering… local politics.

After receiving a bit of heat from Tony Webster, John Edwards, and Edward's supporters, Becker finally admitted she was attempting to take the name away from her critic, who had built his unregistered brand over the past several years. After more backlash, she decided to withdraw her trademark applications but warned she would try again in six months if Edwards didn't register them first.

Four months later, it appears Edwards has prevailed. His post at Wedge LIVE! notes he has dropped his lawsuit against Becker seeking an injunction blocking her from filing for Wedge Live-related trademarks. Becker has agreed to drop her censorial pursuit of the name "Wedge LIVE," bringing an end to this ridiculous and particularly inept attempt to silence a critic.

The legal effort to defend Wedge LIVE from Carol Becker has ended in victory. In a settlement reached late Monday, and fully executed yesterday, Becker has acknowledged my ownership of the name “Wedge LIVE.” Additionally, Becker has agreed that she will “never assert any claim to these marks in the future.”

Perhaps this debacle will lead Becker to exit the public sector. Becker attempted to use the federal government's IP protections to undermine a critic -- one she also baselessly accused of being funded by "dark money" and called a tax fraud. She also denied being aware of Wedge LIVE!'s existence when first confronted by journalists, only belatedly admitting she knew exactly what she was doing when she filed the disingenuous trademark applications. She's proven she can't really be trusted to handle even the small part of government she's staked out.

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Filed Under: 1st amendment, carol becker, censorship, free speech, john edwards, minnesota, trademark, wedge live

9 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2018 @ 10:57am

This is hardly a "hijack" as there are many examples of people registering trademarks (often in bad faith) and then using them to legally confiscate someone else's long-used domain names. It's a perfectly legal way of stealing intellectual property, and particularly effective whenever one party has more money than the other.
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- Valkor, 18 Dec 2018 @ 11:00am
  
  Re:
  I think what you just described is exactly a "hijack".
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  - Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2018 @ 11:09am
    
    Re: Re:
    But not when it's done under the Color of Law.
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    - Stephen T. Stone (profile), 18 Dec 2018 @ 12:21pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      Call it legal if you want, but it’s still a hijack.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2018 @ 2:15pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      Do you have examples? in my experience, having formerly worked for a domain registrar and handled many UDRP claims, ICANN-mandated process for domain trademark disputes was mostly reasonable in its conclusions. I saw several claims fail because the trademark holder didn't make their case, even when said IP holder was Intel.
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    - Bergman (profile), 18 Dec 2018 @ 2:39pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      Especially when it's done under Colour of Law. Judges really hate it when you perjure yourself in a way that makes them an accomplice to a felony.
      
      https://www.justice.gov/crt/conspiracy-against-rights
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Get off my cyber-lawn! (profile), 18 Dec 2018 @ 11:42am

Congrats...
on yet another wholly unnecessary victory over an issue which should never have been one in the first place.
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That Anonymous Coward (profile), 18 Dec 2018 @ 7:08pm

I know I know, I'll find a way to take away their name & sue them... this will totally silence them and in no way blow back upon me! - Every stupid politician ever

Its a pity the voters attention span and outrage never manages to get to the level where they wonder what these people are trying to hide & consider perhaps they shouldn't be in office if they go this overboard.
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Gary (profile), 18 Dec 2018 @ 8:19pm

Never happen
But I thought it was inconceivable that people could misuse trademark or copyright to silence critics?

https://torrentfreak.com/battlestate-games-issues-dozens-of-dmca-takedowns-to-silence-youtub er-181218/
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