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RE: (erielack) Rights to EL name
- Subject: RE: (erielack) Rights to EL name
- From: "Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)" <paultup_@_lucent.com>
- Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 11:25:16 -0400
Hank Sundermeyer asks:
> If I buy a EL logo boxcar or locomotive and 5% of the
> purchase price goes
> into the pockets of CSX as unearned profit, what other
> purpose does it
> serve? Do they put some of this money back into public service by
> supporting organizations like ELHTS or the ELHS or the ARHS
> or any other
> organizations that promote public awareness of railroads and
> their history?
> Why not? The predecessor names would seem to be useless for
> anything else.
>
> How have we let companies like CSX and other railroads who have done
> everything they could to destroy the identities of their
> predecessor roads
> get away with turning around and gouging the public for using
> these names?
[putting on my corporate hat]
The money going back IS earned profit off a trademark that they own. For example, Athearn has to cough up $$$ to Coke to make Coca-Cola delivery trucks. Nowadays, companies are VERY controlling of their image and the fact that they can license it as an additional revenue stream. So technically, it *IS* "earned profit."
[corporate hat off]
In the good old days, companies weren't as savvy (or money-hungry, I suppose) and let the logos be used without license fees. Though this does puzzle me - many of these logos (notably UP's) have been used on models for DECADES without a licensing charge - doesn't that set a precedent in the eyes of the courts? How can they start charging now for something that they've let be used for free since the 1930s?
- Paul
The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List
Sponsored by the ELH&TS
http://www.elhts.org
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