I find this very upsetting. For the record, I am not a member of any supporters group. The Cascadia Cup existed before any of the teams were associated with MLS. They are, essentially, trying to steal the name for their own benefit. (I say "their" because this makes me want to associate less with MLS, rather than more). I like Garber and what he has done for MLS. But this is unacceptable. They are trying to steal what belongs to others and pretend it was theirs all along. Unacceptable.
We could get some good momentum here. I think the WWE already has "Brawl for All" trademarked, or we could use that for the annual Dynamo-Mexican team exhibition since those games usually end with a scrum and cheapshots from our friends from the FMF
rockymountaincup.com is being squatted on by the committee that oversees the Rocky Mountain Cup. We just lack an individual with both the talent to AND the willingness to sacrifice so much time in keeping it together. It was functioning in the past, but not at the moment.
I'm encouraging Fire and Dallas fans to retire the "Brimstone Cup" and create the "Rubber Dick Classico".
A lot of people her don't understand trademark law. First of all, it isn't copywrite law. Second, you own a trademark by its creation and use, as opposed to simply its creation (as with copywrite law.) MLS is attempting to register something that belongs to someone else, in this case the council.that governs the Cascadia Cup. I'm almost certain their arguments will fall along the lines of, "Used exclusively in reference to MLS properties", ie Cascadia Cup doesn't exist without MLS so therefore MLS has rights to Cascadia Cup. They may win based on this argument. It's almost analogous to Las Vegas casinos not being able to use NFL team names or "Super Bowl." Just saying the Cascadia Cup belongs to the Timbers ties it to an MLS property, and therefore MLS cam claim they created the value of it. Either way, asshole move by MLS.
Nice one!! There's another: Anyway, is the "MLS" Supporters' Shield at similar "risk"? https://twitter.com/MLSShield Does the below graphics have anything to do with MLSsoccer.com trademarking the Supporters' Shield? Or is it just a fan art?
Except the Cascadia Cup started when the teams were in the USL. Your argument would apply to the Rocky Mountain Cup however.
it's supposed to be at draft, but those things are always a circus and not worth time for actual issues
If MLS does win this trademark, we should just highlight the somewhat radical nature of the Cascadia independence movement. We'll see how much they want to have their hands in this jar then.
What is the Trillium cup? (never mind I saw it on wiki). The Brimstone Cup I am not sure if our SG would care about fighting for that one (maybe just on principle). I have read that the Chicago and KC SG heads will talk about this issue (But I do not even think we have any type of cup vs KC, so I could be remembering that wrong). BTW http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MLS_rivalry_cups
1. I Imagine the fight will be that the Cascadia Cup belongs to the 3 Supporters groups and not to the actual teams. 2. If the 3 SGs wanted to they could technically stop following MLS and use that trade mark for their Cross Contry matches (what other sports have teams in the 3 Cascadia cities?) 3. If the Cup does belong to the teams as you say then yes since MLS LLC owns all the teams, then by that the Cascadia Cup (and all cups) would belong to MLS. So I guess legally they need to figure our of the trademark belongs to the teams (MLS) or to the fans.
I would like to reach out to all LA Galaxy supporters to make sure we trademark the trophy/name of the annual tournament we've missed out on the past few years. Yes, we used to play an annual supporters match and fight for the one, true trophy that is deeply coveted by both supporters. The golden symbol that shares a deep tradition with both clubs and is beloved by many: The Jorge Campos Memorial Bed Pan. I fear MLS might try and steal this time honored tradition right out from under us. We can't piss away this opportunity to save our heritage and let Don Garber crap all over our history.
Simple, who put the money out to physically create the cup that actually goes to the winners? MLS or the fans? The fans came up with the idea when none of the three teams were in MLS. The fans started awarding the cup when none of the three teams were in MLS. The fans paid for the actual cup that gets awarded when none of the three teams were in MLS. Ergo, MLS thinks the Cascadia Cup belongs to them and not the fans and, no doubt, the league intends to profit from the trademark. Iʻd argue itʻs not a smart move to piss off many of the very fans that you frequently exploit in television promos to advertise the league.
Of course, even if MLS does take these trademarks, the actual physical cups belong to the fan groups. At least for the RMC the cup is passed from supporters to supporters (represented by awarding it to the team after the clinching game, but the Cup is kept by the SGs). We allow the teams to borrow it when they want, but other than being on the field before the matches the Cup is kept with the supporters pretty much. They can create a new Cup if they want, but I think that would expose how much they would have screwed this up if it comes to that.
If the Cup actually belonged to MLS, it would get stored in the holding teams trophy case instead of the Bitter End, Atlantic Crossing or Doolins.
How is the Heritage Cup going? Saw they are making a claim on that as well. Are you allowing that since it 100% SSVF owned and created IMHO
Not sure you could find anyone that really cares about the Heritage Cup. Seattle stopped caring with the rebirth of the Cascadia Cup... and I suspect that if San Jose can draw 50K+ for matches against LA, then they don't really care either.