NATO Strap Store - TM infringement!
I've just received this from NATO Strap Store. Not being an IP lawyer, can this be right? Having Googled Ron E Sabo, he seems a really nice reasonable guy!!!!
Dear customer,
First the good news:
Our store is back and open again.
As you may have noticed, Shopify suspended our store this week due to an alleged trademark infringement. So it turns out that some 'clever' chap has managed to trademark the word 'NATO' for watch and watchstrap related products. So a NATO strap in the USA can't be called a NATO Strap unless you have permission to use the name from the trademark owner. I know, right?
The guy who owns the trademark is Ron E Sabo through his company International Watchman Inc and he has successfully defended his trademark for the last 20 years from lots of watchstrap makers and sellers in the USA and he has sued them and won.
Good or bad and whether you agree with it or not, its pretty clear that we cannot trade in the USA unless we pay this guy.
Also because the word NATO is in our domain name even though we are a UK company and the trademark is for the USA only, if we continue to trade under the name NATOSTRAPSTORE he can attempt to sue us and Shopify could close us down.
So today we very sadly have to say goodbye to our U.S customers as we can no longer sell in the USA unless we pay Ron. E Sabo of Brunswick, Ohio money.
Further to that we have had to change the name of the store and the domain to NOTOSTRAPSTORE.
So we can continue to sell NATO straps in the UK and worldwide but not in the USA.
Thanks for bearing with us during this very stressful time
Kristian
NATO Strap Store - TM infringement!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Christian
I remember the RAF attempted to trademark it's roundel in the clothing sector. Fought successfully by Lambretta on the basis that for clothes, the public associated the roundel with Lambretta.
What would happen if NATO actually cared and said "that's our name, it describes a watch strap the military first issued, we want the trademark'?
Years ago Lambretta clothing tried to stop a Lambretta owners club having Lambretta on their T-shirts saying they owned the rights to use the name on clothing. Lambretta owners pointed out that they were the reason the name and value of the brand existed in the first place and they backed down. Still not forgiven by many Lambretta owners.