Pez suing Pez Museum

[megoscott]

Pez Candy Inc sues Museum of Pez Memorabilia for copyright infringement - Boing Boing

Jerks.

[jessica]

Unbelievable.

[starsky]

no way!! it'd be almost like mego suing the mego museum. well kind of.

[DocDrako]

Wow that's just lame. It's a place that glorifies their product. Is it just because they aren't getting a cut of the place's profits? The whole thing just seems stupid and wrong.

"We love you, Pez! Your product rules!"
"Too bad. We're suing you."
"But we love you!"
"Oh well."



"I'm not an ogre," said Scott McWhinnie, who has headed the company in Orange, Conn., for nearly 20 years. "We lose our trademark if we allow it to be used improperly. We are obligated to prosecute if it's going to be misused."

So why not just give the Pez Museum permission to use their name?

[Meule]

Wow, how low can you go

[generic]

"I'm not an ogre," said Scott McWhinnie, who has headed the company in Orange, Conn., for nearly 20 years. "We lose our trademark if we allow it to be used improperly. We are obligated to prosecute if it's going to be misused."

So why not just give the Pez Museum permission to use their name?

I agree, if the name is being used improperly, then officially license them and make it legal. However, from what I've read, I don't even think there is a clear trademark violation here. The museum is legally allowed to call the product by its trademarked name and even use images of the product in advertising if they are selling the product. As for the giant "dispenser of PEZ", if the thing is giant and does dispense official PEZ candy, then I don't think they are in violation of the trademark. Yes, PEZ can take them to court and make them pay such large amounts of money in legal fees that they go out of business - even if PEZ doesn't have a case at all (see Kellog's cereal vs. anyone who's every tried to use the work "Toucan" for anything from golf clubs to a steal drum band). But why on earth would any company be so shortsighted as to do these things? Lawyers keeping themselves busy is my guess.

[palitoy]

Bad Karma.

[SUP-Ronin]

That's weak. How lame.

[toys2cool]

Like Happy gilmore would say" Ahh HORSE ****!!!!!"

[jasonmego1277]

This is soooo stupid. What a bunch of jerks. They are paying homage to their products , and rather than take that as a honor or free advertisement, they want to sue ???? This is just a lawyer looking to cash in , and example of the candy company struggling with it's sales .....plain and simple.

[AAAAA]

money !!!

[Megotu]

Pez should burn the Pez Museum down. Slaughter the people who made it. Salt the earth with the tears of their grieving womenfolk. That will teach em who's boss.

[ScottA]

Wow. If Marty does bring Mego back do you think we'll need his ok to keep the Museum open?

[jasonmego1277]

Wow. If Marty does bring Mego back do you think we'll need his ok to keep the Museum open?

Scott that is a good question. I thought I heard before he was aware of the site , and it was part of the reason he bought back the name because of all the support here. I would like to think Marty would not have a problem with it.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I do understand about protecting the copyright. You do have to defend it, or the next guy who comes up with knock-off Pez or something they don't like can claim "you let them get by with it".

That being said, they could simply give the museum permission, as others have suggested.

This is indeed very sad. I bet it makes the people who run it question rather or not they even want to collect the things anymore.

Chris