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I ran a search for trademarks and copyrights on the name "Thank God I'm a Country Girl" before I chose the name, and found NOTHING on the internet, or at TESS (Trademark search) and when I created my banner I put a copyright mark on it.... but.... It seems that although the name of my gallery is "Thank God I'm a Country Girl" and not just "Country Girl", that because LML Investments, LLC. has a trademark on the phrase "Country Girl", I must, according to zazzle who has already removed said products... I must loose any products that say "Country Girl" or even "Thank God I'm a COUNTRY GIRL" AND change my Galleries name to avoid causing zazzle any hassle. There are hundreds of country music artists out there that use "Country girl" in the titles and lyrics in their songs and I seriously doubt that they all got permission from LML Investments, LLC. to use that phrase, and so I feel like I am being picked on because I am an easy target, with no income to fight off this rediculous company and their stupid claim (like I said, my phrase is "THANK GOD I'm a Country Girl", not just "Country Girl"). It's like little ol me is such a HUGE threat...yeah right. How much have I made in the past 4 months? about $150 and I don't think any of it said "Country Girl" on it. But, on the other side of the coin is this thought... they must have thought my stuff is so good it had a chance of putting them out of business....YEEHAW! I'm changing my name and I'm gunna go gangbusters with it...!!!!! SO THERE!!! Look for a new banner within the next few days at www.zazzle.com/ranchlady
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Groups: Member
Joined: 2/10/2008
Posts: 173
Location: Oakland
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Ranchlady, there are creeps like this everywhere. The difficult part is not to let it get to you.
If you can tell us some contact info on who from this company contacted you and what their address (e-mail or otherwise), I would be happy to send them an e-mail telling them that they may think they are legally within their rights but that their action simply marks them as a company no one should do business with. Maybe we should contact Keith Olberman (is he CNN or MSNBC ? I can look it up) and let him describe these people in his daily feature "The Worst People in the World."
These "copyright creeps," as I call them, prohibit one from doing all sorts of things, such as take a photo of a Las Vegas hotel and have it in an image you offer for sale. You'd think this would really hurt them !
Keep your chin up. You've got good stuff and will doubtless create more good stuff.
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Location: High Up In The Ouachata Mts
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RL
see post above; meant to post here
Re: US of Iran how the copyright creeps erode the
constitution.
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Groups: Member
Joined: 2/23/2008
Posts: 347
Location: San Jose
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this has to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. You would think the bullies would grow up once they get out of high school but I guess not...  Here is the link to LML Investments"Country Girl ® & Country Boy ® are registered trademarks of LML Investments, LLC. © 2008 LML Investments, LLC. Please contact info@countrybrandclothing.com with any issues regarding this site. We actively protect our trademarks and copyrights. Any illegitimate reproduction or trade in these products will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." I guess they aren't kidding... Personally I think we should bombard them with E-mails and spread the word not to do business with these people  I'm already writing mine.
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Joined: 2/23/2008
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To whom it may concern,
Like many of my friends I run a small POD shop and it has come to my attention that you are threatening to sue small shopkeepers, who make maybe 50$ - 200$ in sales a month, for using the phrase country girl or country boy. Where and how do you get off copyrighting such a common phrase in the first place, and how come you aren't suing Macy's or Nordstroms or Mervyn's? How come you aren't suing country singers for using the phrase in their songs? Or Hollywood for using it their movies? It can only be that you are looking for quick cash settlements because you think we don't have the means to fight you, while you would get nowhere trying to sue big companies with an army of lawyers. I guess the bullies never left the schoolyard, and still refuse to pick on someone their own size.
Regards,
Chris S., President C.B.E. Inc.
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Joined: 5/4/2008
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that's like the jerks who trademarked Sweet Pea for their baby clothing line. You can't use it because they fear it will confuse consumers. yeah ok - people who buy shirts at places like Zazzle or CP are really going to be confused that they are buying a shirt from that company. I never even sold a shirt. My design was up less than 24 hours and CP pulled it.
Hey Ranch Lady - how about Country Gal?
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Groups: Member
Joined: 3/15/2008
Posts: 135
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You know, this is one thing that's always bugged the heck out of me. Why are we in this society so obsessed with copyrighting? Don't we realize that everything is a copy of a copy of a copy anyway? There is nothing new under the sun!
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Groups: Member
Joined: 4/3/2008
Posts: 681
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That is crazy. "Country Girl" is a common phrase. It's not like you have blatantly duplicated their image and branding... I don't understand.
Keep your chin up.
The Spotted Olive
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Joined: 2/13/2008
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Thanks for the support guys... here's a twist... Zazzle has NOT sent me an email telling me to take down my site, and I have not recieved a 'cease and desist" notice from anyone on the NAME of my gallery "Thank God I'm a Country Girl", but they HAVE pulled all of my products off the two sites I have here at zazzle that said "Thank God I'm a Country Girl" or had "Country Girl" in the image, ie: like my "Country Girls 10 Commandments" at www.zazzle.com/realpotential was removed. The reason I am choosing to change the name is because THAT'S MY LOGO, and I want to be able to put my logo on my products. And yes, thanks, I do like "Thank God Im a Country GAL", and had it suggested already and may just go with that. I have to do a little more research on it though, as even though there is no trademark on it there IS a lady selling her handmade crafts under the name "Country Gal" on the net. So isn't it strange that I have not been slapped for my banner and site TITLE which is identical to the phrase on the products that zazzle removed??? *my sites can be found here: www.zazzle.com/ranchladywww.zazzle.com/realpotentialI really like the idea of bombarding these creeps with emails and letters.... they so deserve for me to waste thier time and give them headaches over this. But if I try to do it all by myself (ya know, just send them 20 emails a day for awhile to hassle them about it) they'd just block my email address and not get them. ....and I KNOW I WOULD HAVE A CASE and might even win in a court of law on this, IF I had the money to fight it!
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Ranch,
I was just thinking you just got the #1 spot on google due to your spy n buy video. And now all of a sudden your being harrased like this... coincidence?
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Joined: 2/13/2008
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Csprinks wrote:Ranch,
I was just thinking you just got the #1 spot on google due to your spy n buy video. And now all of a sudden your being harrased like this... coincidence? OMG! YOU'RE KIDDING....#1 on GOOGLE?????!!!!you know what this means? more hits, more sales, and also, lots more trouble from those creeps at LML. Now they'll be after AL over at SpyNbuy to remove my videos! Geez... what do I do????? I have NEVER had to deal with this kind of stuff before and it's got me all screwed up in my head. I have no idea where to start. I sure like FLORABUNDA's idea to contact Keith Olberman!!!!!! DT...where the heck are you buddy, I need your input, ASAP!!!
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Groups: Member
Joined: 5/4/2008
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if they have trademarked that phrase, you have to remove your stuff. It sucks - but that's how it is.
You could try and fight it, some people at CP did with the Sweet Pea thing - but they are not allowed to talk about the legal decision, and it involved people who had had the designs since before the trademark had been made.
But in the end, the trademark owner will most likely win out, and you will have to weigh the cost of legal fees vs the probable sales profit even if you were to win.
as to why they've challenged the products and not your logo is because of why they have the trademark to begin with. If they have it reademarked for use on their own products, it could be that if you can only put it on a zazzle banner and not on any items for sale that the possiblity of product or brand confusion is eliminated.
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Joined: 1/29/2008
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I am terribly sorry to hear what you are dealing with. I would love to know who is the moronic fool that approved the copyright of such a common phrase as "country girl" in the first place. Thats about on par with copyrighting the alphabet.
Ahzeroth at Silverpaws Studios
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Groups: Member
Joined: 2/13/2008
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What if I were to try to get a trademark on the PHRASE: "Thank God I'm a Country Girl" and it was accepted? And, so will this affect the DOMAIN NAME I PURCHASED earlier this year? I have a domain name for www.thankgodimacountrygirl.com
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U know I agree with the number one spot on google.
Ok so here is the trade off. I your site gets high ranking most biz groups think you are a pro at this and such....so the attention brings attention.
The attention also brings sales too....the trade off
attention = sales
attention = idiots harassing you
Thats the fact....look at hollywood stars...a DUI and arrest are major news for some - where as your bud could be locked up now and no one knows :-) I like that....so everyone go check on your buds!
FYI I only remove with a cease and desist letter delivered to our address. Nothing else. I do not fall prey to the idiots..unless they are a lawyer
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Groups: Member
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spynbuy wrote:U know I agree with the number one spot on google.
Ok so here is the trade off. I your site gets high ranking most biz groups think you are a pro at this and such....so the attention brings attention.
The attention also brings sales too....the trade off
attention = sales
attention = idiots harassing you
Thats the fact....look at hollywood stars...a DUI and arrest are major news for some - where as your bud could be locked up now and no one knows :-) I like that....so everyone go check on your buds!
FYI I only remove with a cease and desist letter delivered to our address. Nothing else. I do not fall prey to the idiots..unless they are a lawyer Thanks Al... you are a dear friend, & I love ya buddy! (just don't tell your wife!)
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Groups: Member
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So, given all the truth that there are movies (even a NEW one recently) and music that use the phrase "Country Girl", but those people have $$$ to fight with.... and I don't
The bottom lime is that they are picking on me because they know I can't fight em...right?
Or is it because I put the phrase on similar PRODUCTS ...ie MERCHANDISE?
How fricken unfair and lowlife is THAT???
Lord, please help me get out of this angry funk and just be a CHRISTIAN about this whole thing. Amen.
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Joined: 8/25/2006
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Sometimes firms trademark a saying .. but they have it so it can't be used in connection with certain things .. such as bad boy and bad girl cannot be used on apparel ... however I have a concern that the phrase "thank god I'm a country girl" .. isn't just "country girl" .. I personally think that is unfair .. and on what products they may have it as a restricted use on isn't exactly clear.. but they seem to have apparel .. caps .. underwear pretty well covered.. ( their site ) .. and I notice you still have products on with the saying that they don't stock .. but if its legal because the sayings are not the same ..I can't say without more from the company who are complaining .. and that would probably cost to get that info
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Location: High Up In The Ouachata Mts
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CGirl
Something stinks to high heaven with this "so called copyright
infringement".
Did they sue Johnny Cash? He wrote (and copyrighted) Country Boy back probably in the 1950's. Did they sue Morgan
Freeman or the makers of The Country Girl?
The tv show "The Country Girl" was produced in Australia in
1954 (under the Paris Convention, that copyright applies worldwide);
Turner Broadcasting has been running another version of it as a movie made in 1955 starring Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby regularly.
There is something very very fishy about this kind of copyright;
Copyrights, like trademarks have (and are meant to have a VERY
gray area) so as not to produce censorship (which is obviously what these people are trying to do to you).
If you really want to get technical, THEY infringed
WEBSTER DICTIONARY.
Of course if you had the means to fight it, you would win, but they are banking on that you don't. You ARE in the right. Just because they've copyrighted the term "country boy" and "country girl" does not prevent others from using those two words in something they own.
Example: If a parent has twins (one boy and one girl) can they not name them Dick and Jane? (rest my case).
You can always bite the bullet and try "Thank The Lord I'm A Country Gal" or even "Thank God I'm a Country Gal" and copyright it online. And say to ** with the creeps.
In any case, though I am angry enough it happened to you, it angers me even more that every time it happens, every time your 1st Amendment is eroded, the more those creeps undermine
the strength of the country (which YOU help produce by
expressing yourself freely; even though it may not seem like it at the time), but you do).
The copyright creeps would LOVE living in places like
Siberia, Iran, Saudi, the old Soviet Union, etc. Everyone else would be just like them. If they only knew what their actions did in the bigger picture...(they probably wouldn't even care)
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I would say it's a combination, they know you can't fight them AND you put the phrase on similar products AND because your actually tasting a bit of sucess, that makes you competition to them. And that scares them.
This is clssic bully psychology, having had to deal with being bullied all the way up through high school I can smell it from a mile away. Corporations and big retailers must absolutely despise POD sites, and it seems like they are trying to find as many ways to destroy us as possible.
Welcome to the war of the 21st century...
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