Being the amazing, true-to-life adventures and (very likely) misadventures of a writer who seeks to take his education, activism and seemingly boundless energy to North Minneapolis, (NoMi) to help with a process of turning a rapidly revitalizing neighborhood into something approaching Urban Utopia. I am here to be near my child. From 02/08 to 06/15 this blog pushed free speech to the envelope, so others could take heart and speak unafraid. Email me at hoffjohnw@gmail.com
I hope that select urban clothiers will carry this tasteful t-shirt instead of the large white t-shirts and "stop-snitching" t-shirts. Have you approached the folks in the used bed store about this t-shirt? It's awesome and may help unite the community!
That's a good question, but assumes that there actually will be proceeds. It's possible that this will not profit anyone or that it may lose money.
That being said, "Get to NoMi, Arts, Parks, & You" is trademarked. Or copyrighted. Or both. So presumably whatever proceeds there may be would go to the holders of that brand.
Copyright is a form of protection provided to the authors of "original works of authorship" including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works, both published and unpublished. The 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to reproduce the copyrighted work, to prepare derivative works, to distribute copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted work, to perform the copyrighted work publicly, or to display the copyrighted work publicly.
The copyright protects the form of expression rather than the subject matter of the writing. For example, a description of a machine could be copyrighted, but this would only prevent others from copying the description; it would not prevent others from writing a description of their own or from making and using the machine. Copyrights are registered by the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress.
What Is a Trademark or Servicemark?
A trademark is a word, name, symbol or device which is used in trade with goods to indicate the source of the goods and to distinguish them from the goods of others. A servicemark is the same as a trademark except that it identifies and distinguishes the source of a service rather than a product. The terms "trademark" and "mark" are commonly used to refer to both trademarks and servicemarks.
Trademark rights may be used to prevent others from using a confusingly similar mark, but not to prevent others from making the same goods or from selling the same goods or services under a clearly different mark. Trademarks which are used in interstate or foreign commerce may be registered with the Patent and Trademark Office. The registration procedure for trademarks and general information concerning trademarks is described in a separate pamphlet entitled "Basic Facts about Trademarks".
Is Fire and Ice going to start selling these shirts? That would be great if they did. Those plain white t's just scream "thug". I may have to patronize them again. I quit after the post highlighting the plain white t's.
@kanoyes - no absolutely not there is no ghetto play here. It's a play off of getting to know North Mpls as it really is rather than painting it with the broad strokes of it being nothing but ghetto.
Jeff, it seems like you evaded answering the question. If the Hawthorne neighborhood (or North Minneapolis) doesn't get the proceeds from these "GetToNomi" T-shirts and other items, why are you promoting them here? Do you or any of the contributors/commentators to this blog (like Ranty)have any connection to the guy in Florida that is selling this stuff? How do you know that this stuff is trademarked? I'd think some transparency in who is trying to profit from this is in order.
We promote all sorts of businesses on this blog (such as Good Sports, Donny Dirk's, The Bangkok Market, The Amazing Oriental Supermarket, and others). Individual neighborhoods may or may not directly benefit from such blog posts.
But this blog is a private blog and not the extension of any neighborhood entity. We who write on this blog believe that the "Get to NoMi" campaign has a positive impact on our community and we will therefore promote it as we see fit.
Someone has gone through the effort and expense to produce "Get to NoMi" apparel. I like the stuff. I want to promote it. I think doing so will make my community better. I don't care if one person gets rich off it or if the proceeds (once again, we're assuming there will BE proceeds) are distributed in other ways.
You claim you want transparency and that's your prerogative. I see a product I like for a cost that's reasonable and I want to promote it. I, for one, hope that this is a private individual who gets rich off of selling good products in my neighborhood. That's called capitalism.
This is a private blog run by a private individual that is contributed to by many different independent sources... and you are calling for Transparency?
Seriously? This is how you spend your free time? Do you think Hawthorne or North Minneapolis is somehow being taken advantage of?
An anonymous poster badgering the author for TRANSPARENCY on a private blog! I love it!
For the record, I have absolutely no involvement with the production of these t-shirts, nor do I know the producer.
I do know the artist who created the logo, and subsequently filed for a federal trademark. I presume that if there are proceeds she will get them. But, as I have neither seen nor spoken with her in probably close to two years, I really have no idea.
12 comments:
Where do the proceeds go?
I hope that select urban clothiers will carry this tasteful t-shirt instead of the large white t-shirts and "stop-snitching" t-shirts. Have you approached the folks in the used bed store about this t-shirt? It's awesome and may help unite the community!
Anon 10:50,
That's a good question, but assumes that there actually will be proceeds. It's possible that this will not profit anyone or that it may lose money.
That being said, "Get to NoMi, Arts, Parks, & You" is trademarked. Or copyrighted. Or both. So presumably whatever proceeds there may be would go to the holders of that brand.
Ahem.
What Is a Copyright?
Copyright is a form of protection provided to the authors of "original works of authorship" including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works, both published and unpublished. The 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to reproduce the copyrighted work, to prepare derivative works, to distribute copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted work, to perform the copyrighted work publicly, or to display the copyrighted work publicly.
The copyright protects the form of expression rather than the subject matter of the writing. For example, a description of a machine could be copyrighted, but this would only prevent others from copying the description; it would not prevent others from writing a description of their own or from making and using the machine. Copyrights are registered by the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress.
What Is a Trademark or Servicemark?
A trademark is a word, name, symbol or device which is used in trade with goods to indicate the source of the goods and to distinguish them from the goods of others. A servicemark is the same as a trademark except that it identifies and distinguishes the source of a service rather than a product. The terms "trademark" and "mark" are commonly used to refer to both trademarks and servicemarks.
Trademark rights may be used to prevent others from using a confusingly similar mark, but not to prevent others from making the same goods or from selling the same goods or services under a clearly different mark. Trademarks which are used in interstate or foreign commerce may be registered with the Patent and Trademark Office. The registration procedure for trademarks and general information concerning trademarks is described in a separate pamphlet entitled "Basic Facts about Trademarks".
Is Fire and Ice going to start selling these shirts? That would be great if they did. Those plain white t's just scream "thug". I may have to patronize them again. I quit after the post highlighting the plain white t's.
Is it supposed to play off of "ghetto"? The phrasing of "Get to" at least implies "ghetto" subconsciously.
@kanoyes - no absolutely not there is no ghetto play here. It's a play off of getting to know North Mpls as it really is rather than painting it with the broad strokes of it being nothing but ghetto.
Get To Know North Mpls (NoMi)
Get to NoMi
Kanoyes,
Ugh. I didn't think of that. I hope that these shirts aren't having an unintended effect.
Jeff, it seems like you evaded answering the question. If the Hawthorne neighborhood (or North Minneapolis) doesn't get the proceeds from these "GetToNomi" T-shirts and other items, why are you promoting them here?
Do you or any of the contributors/commentators to this blog (like Ranty)have any connection to the guy in Florida that is selling this stuff? How do you know that this stuff is trademarked? I'd think some transparency in who is trying to profit from this is in order.
To the consistent anonymous poster:
We promote all sorts of businesses on this blog (such as Good Sports, Donny Dirk's, The Bangkok Market, The Amazing Oriental Supermarket, and others). Individual neighborhoods may or may not directly benefit from such blog posts.
But this blog is a private blog and not the extension of any neighborhood entity. We who write on this blog believe that the "Get to NoMi" campaign has a positive impact on our community and we will therefore promote it as we see fit.
Someone has gone through the effort and expense to produce "Get to NoMi" apparel. I like the stuff. I want to promote it. I think doing so will make my community better. I don't care if one person gets rich off it or if the proceeds (once again, we're assuming there will BE proceeds) are distributed in other ways.
You claim you want transparency and that's your prerogative. I see a product I like for a cost that's reasonable and I want to promote it. I, for one, hope that this is a private individual who gets rich off of selling good products in my neighborhood. That's called capitalism.
OH MY GAWD anonymous 1218... GET A LIFE!
This is a private blog run by a private individual that is contributed to by many different independent sources... and you are calling for Transparency?
Seriously? This is how you spend your free time? Do you think Hawthorne or North Minneapolis is somehow being taken advantage of?
An anonymous poster badgering the author for TRANSPARENCY on a private blog! I love it!
For the record, I have absolutely no involvement with the production of these t-shirts, nor do I know the producer.
I do know the artist who created the logo, and subsequently filed for a federal trademark. I presume that if there are proceeds she will get them. But, as I have neither seen nor spoken with her in probably close to two years, I really have no idea.
And seriously, who cares anyway?
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