Brenton
Your Popsicle’s Melting
October 18th 2007 12:45
Café Press is a nifty little webpage. Using its tools you can set up pages to sell merchandise with your own designs on it.
I has one shirt with an image of a Popsicle on the front pocket. On the back pocket it had the phrase ‘your Popsicle's melting’.
Now, I didn’t really think too much of this design. It was cute, but nothing special. And certainly, I thought, not controversial.
How wrong was I? A few months into my Café Press experience I received a letter saying that one of my designs had been canceled.
I was wondering which design could have been construed as offensive. I entertained a few of possibilities. However, this one in particular was never considered. So, why was it offensive enough to be taken off Café Press?
Popsicle is a trademark owned by Unilever. Therefore I was potentially making money off their product trademark.
The history of the Popsicle is a proud one. It was basically made by some dude for his kids. He only ever put a patent on it after a few years at their insistence. He later sold the trademark.
And now? Now that same word, Popsicle, is being used to crush down a fifteen year old’s design, lest he make money of a word that has fallen into common usage.
Thank god for capitalism hey?
The great irony - I was in the wrong - I was copying someone else - Beck - the Popsicle line was in a song of his. So it's OK for Beck, apparently.
If Beck wanted off I'd be cool.
Actually if Beck wanted me to give him all my possessions I probably would. He's so great.
PS - My remaining items can be found HERE.
I has one shirt with an image of a Popsicle on the front pocket. On the back pocket it had the phrase ‘your Popsicle's melting’.
The offending image
When I went to my page to retrieve the written image, I found this image too was flagged as inappropriate. Perhaps my artistic talent was good enough for this to be considered a strong likeness of the Popsicle brand specifically?
Now, I didn’t really think too much of this design. It was cute, but nothing special. And certainly, I thought, not controversial.
How wrong was I? A few months into my Café Press experience I received a letter saying that one of my designs had been canceled.
I was wondering which design could have been construed as offensive. I entertained a few of possibilities. However, this one in particular was never considered. So, why was it offensive enough to be taken off Café Press?
Popsicle is a trademark owned by Unilever. Therefore I was potentially making money off their product trademark.
The history of the Popsicle is a proud one. It was basically made by some dude for his kids. He only ever put a patent on it after a few years at their insistence. He later sold the trademark.
And now? Now that same word, Popsicle, is being used to crush down a fifteen year old’s design, lest he make money of a word that has fallen into common usage.
Thank god for capitalism hey?
The great irony - I was in the wrong - I was copying someone else - Beck - the Popsicle line was in a song of his. So it's OK for Beck, apparently.
If Beck wanted off I'd be cool.
Actually if Beck wanted me to give him all my possessions I probably would. He's so great.
PS - My remaining items can be found HERE.
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