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Article: Did the new spring FL get permission to use the USFL name?

Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 5:19 pm
by 4th&long
https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/usfl-fo ... 10603.html

>> A former executive of the defunct league said it still has the rights to its name and logos 35 years after it played its last down.<<

Re: Article: Did the new spring FL get permission to use the USFL name?

Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 5:27 pm
by johnnyangryfuzzball
4th&long wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 5:19 pm https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/usfl-fo ... 10603.html

>> A former executive of the defunct league said it still has the rights to its name and logos 35 years after it played its last down.<<
"It" hasn't existed since 1990, and the trademarks lapsed from disuse. The former executive is lying.

Several entities have come and gone, acquired the trademarks and gone defunct before ever playing a down. There was one group in 2010, followed by Jamie Cuadra right after that, then the guys behind the A-11 offense back in 2014 bought most of the team names.

Re: Article: Did the new spring FL get permission to use the USFL name?

Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 6:14 pm
by 4th&long
johnnyangryfuzzball wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 5:27 pm
4th&long wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 5:19 pm https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/usfl-fo ... 10603.html

>> A former executive of the defunct league said it still has the rights to its name and logos 35 years after it played its last down.<<
"It" hasn't existed since 1990, and the trademarks lapsed from disuse. The former executive is lying.

Several entities have come and gone, acquired the trademarks and gone defunct before ever playing a down. There was one group in 2010, followed by Jamie Cuadra right after that, then the guys behind the A-11 offense back in 2014 bought most of the team names.
Agreed, and the Philly Inquirer is trash today, many falsehoods or mis info in article.

UPDATE: Article: Did the new spring FL get permission to use the USFL name?

Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 6:53 pm
by 4th&long
https://twitter.com/davisjosh20/status/ ... 0477523975

>> There was a lot of questions after frmr USFL exec Steve Ehrhart went put and said the new @USFLofficial
didn't have the rights to use the name.

Turns out, he wasn't meaning in a legal manner. He knows they own the TMs, but can they protect the legacy?<<

And that's that.

Re: Article: Did the new spring FL get permission to use the USFL name?

Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 8:39 pm
by GregParks
I feel like the author of the original story should’ve gotten better clarification on what Erhart meant in that case. That, or Erhart is backtracking after realizing they don’t ACTUALLY have any claim to the marks.

Re: Article: Did the new spring FL get permission to use the USFL name?

Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 9:55 pm
by 4th&long
GregParks wrote: Tue Jun 08, 2021 8:39 pm I feel like the author of the original story should’ve gotten better clarification on what Erhart meant in that case. That, or Erhart is backtracking after realizing they don’t ACTUALLY have any claim to the marks.
Like I said it was the Philly Inquirer - devolved into trash like many others :o

Re: Article: Did the new spring FL get permission to use the USFL name?

Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 10:20 pm
by Tank55
I think he confused the rights to the tape library with the rights to the names and is now trying to save face.

Re: Article: Did the new spring FL get permission to use the USFL name?

Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2021 8:58 pm
by johnnyangryfuzzball
Tank55 wrote: Tue Jun 08, 2021 10:20 pm I think he confused the rights to the tape library with the rights to the names and is now trying to save face.
Right. I believe Mike Tollin owns the USFL tape library. (He did the Small Potatoes documentary for 30 for 30.) There's some copyrighted material in there that won't expire until a century from now, and some personality rights might very well be covered under that, but that doesn't cover the name of a league or team names or logos.

Re: Article: Did the new spring FL get permission to use the USFL name?

Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2021 9:21 pm
by laxtreme56
This reminds me of George Romero and his Living Dead franchise. The guy was a mastermind and his first 3 films were instrumental in bringing zombie lore to the mainstream. However, he never did copyright the franchise and to this day there's indy producers every few years making low budget "sequels" using the Day/Dawn of the Dead title. Of course if you actually watch any of that trash there's nary a single element that resembles Romero's original classics. Odds are this new USFL will the the SyFy original version of the 1980's USFL.