Re: THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!!!! There are multiple trademark entries on the TESS (Trademark Electronic Search System) can't link to the specific search. Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) I don't see any form of NFL on any of the owners, but there are a few New York addresses.
I guess the next thing the NFL will send a cease & desist to the Vatacin for using the word saint? How about the French send one to the NFL for using the Fleur de Le? They are all a bunch of greedy New York lawyer & marketing types. Makes you want to puke. They always want to take the fun out of stuff. Maybe they ought to start realizing if it wasn't fun they would be out of a job. Who Dat!!
i propose that fleurty girl, storyville, and others who got the cease and desist start selling a new t-shirt. a pic of goodell with the circle/slash over it and the phrase "screw dat!":grin:
So what i want to know is can The Who Dat Nation, every Saints fan, sue the NFL for making money off Saints fans? I wonder if the NFL owns "Dirty Birds" or if they own "The Dog Pound", or if they own "America's Team" or if they own "G-Men". Roger Goodell would sell his children on ebay for a dollar.
LSU had it before the Saints. In the 1980 basketball season, Who Dat talkin bout beaten dem Tigers was everywhere.
Actually, the first time I heard it was at an LSU basketball game in 1973. I forgot who we were playing, but it was Dale Brown's first year as men's basketball coach and the Arena was pretty empty. A black fraternity was sitting together waaaaayy up at the top all by themselves and no one even knew they were there. During an exciting part of the game, the frat boyz started chanting the "who dat" cheer and everyone else who was seated much lower...around the court, started listening and figuring out what they were saying. Soon the whole arena was chanting it. It was real cool. When it caught on with the Saints, I remember thinking "That's good, but not original. I bet the fraternity borrowed it from somewhere else. Anybody else remember that?...Red??
Copyright is a little different issue, but for "Who Dat" to be trademarked, the original person (company) who came up with and started using the mark commercially, would have had to file for registration with the USPTO within 12 months of disclosing it to the public. Otherwise it becomes "in the public domain" and free for anyone to use. Same with Utility Patents. The other issue with trademarks is that there are categories for trademarks. You could have the same trademark for two different categories as long as they are not confusingly similar. (say "Who Dat" Ice Creme and a "Who Dat" Fishing Boat). There was a case you may remember where the WWF, (wrestling) was sued by the WWF (wildlife refuge)because even though both organizations use the same acronym the the Wildlife Refuge proved in court that their mark was damaged by the wrestling company using and promoting a similar mark. Point being, unless the NFL or the Saints organization filed for ownership of the trademark "Who Dat" on T-Shirts 20-30 years ago, they are **** out of luck. It would be like the Saints trying to collect on everyone using the Fleur-De-Lis in coordination with the word Saints. It has been in the public domain for years with out anyone ever asserting a claim to cease and desist.
