Phrase "Urban Homestead" is trademarked?

[herfrds]

Had an author coin the phrase, "Last Best Place" and another person tried to trademark it. Last I heard is they were heading for court.

Hope these people get theirs for trying to trademark such a simple term.

 

[justmeandtheflock]

I'm confused. This is the statement at the top of the page above the letter:

"Please find the “cease & desist” phrase in this normal, professional and informative letter. It’s a false, made up claim that people are jumping over themselves to make us look bad."

It sounds like they are saying that they did not write this letter and are not suing anyone

 

[CrazyChickieMama]

While they technically did not say cease and desist, it was definitely implied...the letter states that if you use those terms, any of them, you have to give them credit. Which is ridiculous. They didn't come up with them. People have been using those terms for decades. Jules has also stated that he wants to move to South America and buy 600 acres and start a "sustainable village". He's probably doing this to raise money to start his weirdo compound. Who knows?

You can also "buy in" for the farmer's market thing he wants to put in his front yard. You pay a fee and then pay to buy things. Ugh...I looked up to them too before all this.

 

[mom'sfolly]

I think they would have a hard time winning in court. There was a book published in the 70s called Urban Homesteading, so the term has been in the vernacular for at least that long. I think the family fist started using the term in the 90s or later. As to the "path to freedom", they probably have more of a legitimate claim there. I think they are trying to make money on lawsuits and are trying to suppress others from using these terms.

 

[suzettex5]

If anyone should want to- anyone can go to 'USPTO' (just google it) and you can look up(for free) anyones granted or applied for patent and/or trademark. You can see what catagory it is being applied to and whether it was granted or not.

Sometimes certain phrases can be trademarked, but only in certain catagories or for specific claims. Sometimes people will claim Trademark Applied for before they are actually granted the status and try to the application as a shield to anyone using their phrase, but that doesnt make it real or granted. Certain phrases CANT be trademarked simply due to already being in use for too long a time. Other phrases that may have been around before CAN be trademarked if they havent been used in a certain catagory and are very descriptive. A non-descriptive, generally used, non-catagory specific phrase will almost never be granted and can very easily be opposed in court in the event it is granted.

I wonder what the actual definition of the term they are using is, and if their place even qualifies under that definition.

I'm thinking this is a big ole publicity stunt that alot of people are responding to- even negative attention can be better than little to no attention.

 

[hudsonhousechicks]

I used to link the their blog but dropped them like a hot potato. At least until I know with some certainty what they are doing. I like their message of self-sufficiency and like that they can inspire people to take a step toward self-sufficiency but I don't appreciate the cloud of greed that has recently rolled in.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

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Agreed. Plan to delete all references to them on my own blogs tomorrow. I like how you phrased it: cloud of greed. Fits them. I'm very disillusioned about them.