Stop the sale of Trayvon shooting targets

[G_j]

http://campaigns.dailykos.com/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=144

Stop the sale of Trayvon shooting targets

The silhouette on the paper target is faceless. But the hoodie, the Skittles and the iced tea leave nothing to the imagination. This is meant to be Travyon Martin, the unarmed 17-year-old shot to death in February in Sanford, Florida.

Skittles brand candy is clearly depicted in the targets. The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, a division of Mars Inc., produces and markets Skittles. They could stop the sale of these targets by taking legal action against the Hiller Armament Company, which sells the targets online.

Stop the sale of these targets by signing our petition to The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and Mars Inc.

To The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and Mars Inc.

We, the undersigned, urge you to take legal action the Hiller Armament Company for its unauthorized use of Skittles brand candy in a product sold by Hiller. The Skittles brand is clearly seen on the paper targets sold by Hiller intended to depict Travyon Martin, the unarmed 17-year-old shot to death in February in Sanford, Florida.

Please take legal action to stop the sale of these items.

http://campaigns.dailykos.com/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=144

[pacalo]

1. Done.

[jberryhill]

2. Stop the sale of Andy Warhol's Campbell Soup label painting

Wrigley's ownership of the trade dress and trademarks shown on a Skittles package does not empower them to enjoin the sale of items which make nominative use of that trade dress in a publication which is intended to refer to an event of newsworthy and political significance which involved a Skittles package.

You may have seen this flag at a variety of political protests:



Do you believe sale of that flag violates enforceable rights of the respective trademark owners?

Or is there some principle of law which applies only when you agree with the speaker?

[G_j]

6. I looked up trademark infringement and you are correct I believe,

the only other legal route might be libel, but that doesn't seem to fit.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

3. Highly questionable legally standing to do anything

Tacky is not against the law

[markpkessinger]

9. True enough . . .

. . . but what the petition seeks to do is to have Mars and Wrigly bring a trademark infringement case. And that could work.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. Not sure if that would work.

Not a lot of their trade dress or service marks...not sure many would "get it" without the media coverage.

If it was less specific in its presentation, would it be any better?

[markpkessinger]

14. Sometimes the threat of expensive litigation is enough to stop the practice n/t

[jberryhill]

16. No, it is not trademark infringement.

The use of Skittles branding here is clearly not intended, nor understood by consumers, as an indication of source or origin of the goods.

It is understood that the use of the mark here is a decorative feature which depicts a fact connected with the subject of the published work.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

4. Oh dear Lord. nt

[immoderate]

5. Trayvon target is an example of sick humor. You can't ban it.

I would like to remind people that, "bad taste is timeless."

And I think this is something, up with which, we will have to put.

--imm

[jwirr]

8. Sick humor that can lead to more deaths. I signed the petition.

[markpkessinger]

11. You can't ban bad taste . . .

. . . but you (or in this case, Wrigley and Mars) can bring a trademark infringement case.

[slackmaster]

7. I believe Elvis has already left the building

You can't make him any more gone than he already is.

[Little Star]

10. Done

[-..__...]

13. As the saying goes...

"there's no such thing as bad publicity".

If the guy was enjoying moderate sales before, desperate calls to action urged in the article/petition, will only serve to increase sales.

The Skittles brand is clearly seen on the paper targets

"Clearly" seen?

Look... maybe my eyesight isn't what it used to be, but from what I see, the word "Skit" is not "clearly" a barns name of any candy product that I'm aware of.

Besides... if it becomes that much of an issue, all the seller has to do is remove the offending text from the product, and continue to sell the targets with the revision.

[LanternWaste]

15. It seems that Susan Komen and Beef products, Inc run counter to your saying...

"there's no such thing as bad publicity".

I believe that both Susan G Komen and Beef Products, Inc. (the maker of Pink Slime who recently closed three factories) seems to run counter your bumpers-sticker, regardless of re-branding efforts...

[Rex]

17. One can only hope there is a special

place in hell for such merchants.