Ilitch Puts Damper on Downtown New Year's 2011 Celebration

[DetroitDad]

New Year's Eve at Campus Martius

9:30 P.M.| Campus Martius: The Coneys Are Ready
Elmer Fudd must be hunting wabbits around Campus Martius in downtown Detroit tonight, because it's "verwy qwuiet" around here.

A group of eight, plus a couple of other patrons, were dining at Lafayette Coney around 8:15 p.m.

Aveja Purovic, who has worked at Lafeyette Coney for 27 years, said he expected it to get "very busy" after midnight with a good -- not rowdy -- crowd.

"We are ready with a lot of coneys -- a lot," he said. "The party starts after midnight."

There were also a handful of diners at the American Coney, as the staff stared vacantly out the famed restaurant's windows.
A normal, decently small, crowd of ice skaters skated around the rink.

Three weeks ago Matthew Severson, the founder and president of Stockbridge-based Firehouse Neon, got a call to create the "D" that will be dropped for the first time at midnight for the Campus Martius New Year's Eve celebration.

"We're living the dream," Severson said about his 10-year-old company selling $11 million of neon products over the company's website.

He was originally going to re-create the famed old English D for the drop until he got cease-and-desist calls from Major League Baseball and the Ilitch family, which owns the Detroit Tigers.

"I had to reconstruct a whole new D on the fly," said Severson, who finished the D himself on Wednesday. The "2011" placed above the D is designed to light up when the D drops at midnight. It also comes with a percussion cannon effect he hopes somebody told Detroit Police about.


Read more: Blog: New Year's Eve at Campus Martius | freep.com | Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/article/2010123...#ixzz19kb6SvB0

I will try to post some clear pictures on my blog; Campus MArtius Chronicle, later this morning.

A link to the Campus Martius Park webcam can be found on the Campus Martius Park website.

The official website for Motor City NYE 2011 can be found here.

Detroit Mom and I would love to see other's photos and reviews!

[Homer]

Just tried the webcam. It's not even live action, just 15 minute delay still shots. Weak!

[Gannon]

This STINKS!

I take back EVERY good thing I've ever said and even every wee bit of slack yielded [[every benefit of the doubt) about the Illitches.

This had NOTHING to do with the Tigers, and was IN NO WAY any form of trademark infringement. The cease-and-desist is out-of-line, and THEY should bear the cost incurred by this fellow having to change things out at the last minute.


It is not unlike the Bose Corporation trying to trademark numbers, and fight against anyone using 901, 601, 301...or Noel Lee suing anyone who dared make anything 'Monster'...because he happened to make some beefier speaker wire thirty years ago.


It is bullshit. Way to go, Illitches. Very nice way to close out the year.

[Gannon]

Matter of fact, they don't own this old Roman script font...more I consider it, the more angry I get.

What a load of crap.

[lilpup]

They should be using the D designed for promoting the city, not the Tigers.

[jcole]

Matter of fact, they don't own this old Roman script font...more I consider it, the more angry I get.

What a load of crap.

It's not Roman, it's an English D

[JBMcB]

The thing about trademarks is if you don't defend them, you de-facto loose them. In other words, if people start using your trademark without your permission and you don't go after them for it, you've just lost your trademark.

It's still a slimy move, though. They could have given the guy a free license to use the trademark this once.

And, yes, a single letter stylized D can be a trademark. Pretty much *anything* can be a trademark as long as it's not already used as a trademark somewhere else. Movie ratings are trademarks, you can't say your movie is rated R unless approved by the MPAA.

[jcole]

DD, where did you get your info? This is a quote as of 10:30pm tonight from the Freep:

10:30 P.M.| The Start Of A Tradition

By 9:30 p.m. puddles of water were forming in the Campus Martius ice skating rink. Skaters were skating without jackets in the 50-plus degree temperatures.
Jared Mooney, one-fourth of the "Motorcity New Years Eve Drop the D" team who put the New Year's Eve festivities together, said the goal of the evening was to showcase Detroit.
"We a big city," he said. "It's time to start acting like it."
The capital, script "D" will soon be hoisted to the top of the Compuware building, about 85-feet.
"This thing is starting a new tradition. We're not New York, we're going to drop the D for Detroit," Mooney said. "This is what the city needs."
Inside, the Compuware atrium was just beginning to jump around 10 p.m. with partiers dressed in their blackest New Year's Eve finery for the private party hosted by the Drop the D team. The party also featured cabanas reserved by companies and individuals.


Read more: Blog: New Year's Eve at Campus Martius | freep.com | Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/article/2010123...#ixzz19l1oVHNH

[Whitehouse]

This STINKS!

I take back EVERY good thing I've ever said and even every wee bit of slack yielded [[every benefit of the doubt) about the Illitches.

This had NOTHING to do with the Tigers, and was IN NO WAY any form of trademark infringement. The cease-and-desist is out-of-line, and THEY should bear the cost incurred by this fellow having to change things out at the last minute.


It is not unlike the Bose Corporation trying to trademark numbers, and fight against anyone using 901, 601, 301...or Noel Lee suing anyone who dared make anything 'Monster'...because he happened to make some beefier speaker wire thirty years ago.


It is bullshit. Way to go, Illitches. Very nice way to close out the year.

I was not aware that the Alfabet was subject to trademaketing.....

Old English Text is a 1935 revival of William Caslon's c. 1760 typeface Caslon Black, which was inspired by late medieval English textura letter forms.
Old English Text is in the graphic identity of several brands, and is popular for its evocation of a liturgical or historic tone of voice. The font is used as the title font for the New York Times
It is also the font for the Beaconhouse School System
In the Japanese anime Death Note it is used as the font by which the characters conceal themselves while on webchat.

Free op copyright::
http://www.fontspace.com/category/old+english

I like this one.

I expect next year old English D to come back. They have to make new neon anyway for "2012",

[Vox]

Whine whine whine. If it wasnt for Mike there would not be a Detroit right now.

[jcole]

Fonts are copyrighted all the time; Adobe owns a ton of them that you have to pay to use on your PC or in any documents. This isn't new.

[jcole]

The little R in a circle means 'registered trademark'

[Whitehouse]

The little R in a circle means 'registered trademark'

Then don't make one exactly like it. Make it a little different, as long as it's old English.

And besides, you need to talk with these folks about Old English font.

‘Old English Text’ is a trademark of The Monotype Corporation registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and may be registered in other jusisdictions

[bartock]

The title of this thread makes no sense.

[JTistle1]

I had heard this yesterday on the radio, and it was MLB that raised the stink, Ilitch had to follow suit.

[Ravine]

That old "D" was used by, and generally associated with, the Detroit Tigers for a long, long time, before a gaggle of youngish hipsters became infatuated with it and started getting tattoos of it and wearing caps of every color found in the Crayola 64 box with it.

Don't get me started on the bit of calling Detroit "The 'D'." Such a commentary could trigger a brush-fire, a feud between said hipsters; who is cooler, the ones who live in "The 'D'," or the ones from "The 313?"

I think the Tigers are in the right, to protect that particular style of the Olde English D as their mark. Just because recent times have birthed a swarm of folks who suddenly embrace it doesn't mean it's an item from the Community Chest and everybody can have one, and do as they wish with it. Get your own goddam D.

All of the whining could have been avoided. Anybody with a particle of sense would have known that the wise thing to do would be to check into it first, to find out whether or not using it in such festivities would be a problem.

[marcwigle]

I will try to post some clear pictures on my blog; Campus MArtius Chronicle, later this morning.

A link to the Campus Martius Park webcam can be found on the Campus Martius Park website.

The official website for Motor City NYE 2011 can be found here.

Detroit Mom and I would love to see other's photos and reviews!

Unless I'm mistaken, the logos of all MLB teams are owned by MLB and not by the individual teams. Having said that, I don't blame MLB or the Illitch's from exercising their rights. Whoever commissioned the artist to make the "D" for NYE should have made sure beforehand that they could use the logo. And like someone else said, if it wasn't for the Illitch family, a lot of downtown would like crap... doesn't give them carte blance to do what they want but, cut them some slack. We would have all done the same thing.

[detroitbob]

Unless I'm mistaken, the logos of all MLB teams are owned by MLB and not by the individual teams. Having said that, I don't blame MLB or the Illitch's from exercising their rights. Whoever commissioned the artist to make the "D" for NYE should have made sure beforehand that they could use the logo. And like someone else said, if it wasn't for the Illitch family, a lot of downtown would like crap... doesn't give them carte blance to do what they want but, cut them some slack. We would have all done the same thing.

I agree with the above sentiments...I would hate to think of what downtown would be like had not Illitch and others pioneered the investment cycle some 25 years ago. Major League Baseball controls the licensing of team logo's and like Illitch or not, this is infringement issue and by league standards they are within their rights.

There are enough of us who remember how desolate downtown was BEFORE the Fox was restored and became one of the top grossing theatre buildings in the country. I am not forgetting Chuck Forbes and others. Their collective investment over the last 25 plus years has paid off and has led to what we all enjoy about downtown today. Might I add that anyone who put up their bucks back than could have made far more money doing it in the burbs but they chose to tough it out downtown and lead the way for and assist others.

[Meddle]

That old "D" was used by, and generally associated with, the Detroit Tigers for a long, long time,

I don't. I associate it with the fourth letter of the alphabet.

And I've been saying for a long, long time that Illitch is one of the worst of the worst of greedy old bastards. If it wasn't for him, a lot of downtown properties could have been developed instead of sitting vacant or being leveled to empty lots in some of his speculative deals and/or efforts to keep competitors away.

If it was up to him, you'd be living in Illitch, MI.

[Gistok]

The thing about trademarks is if you don't defend them, you de-facto loose them. In other words, if people start using your trademark without your permission and you don't go after them for it, you've just lost your trademark.

BINGO!!

This has everything to do with defending trademarks, and nothing to do with either Ilitch or MLB being Scrooges. If your a commercial entity, and you don't defend your registered trademarks... it could come back to haunt you legally.

I know that the LEGO company goes after any and all folks who use their logo. You could sell your own designed LEGO models... even with real LEGO bricks... and in a homemade box you created showing that model... and sell those models/boxes on the secondary market... the LEGO company will leave you alone.

But the moment someone tries [[and they have) to use the LEGO logo on homemade boxes for sale... BAM!!... the LEGO company will send their legal hounds loose on you.

Corporations universally protect their trademarks... they'd be stupid not to....

There's enough font types and variations even of the old English "D" that could have gotten around this legal issue. And besides... I don't think Peter Karmanos wants Mike Ilitch's sports logo descending from his building!!

[Meddle]

I'd like to see the city put an olde English D on cop cars and stop, and write Illitch [[or his driver) every time he makes even a minor traffic violation. And make sure the D is on the citation also.

The city could probably dig out of debt since I'm sure that pompous turd thinks he's above the law and doesn't have to obey traffic laws.

[LeannaM]

Although that was a rather jerk-like thing to do, from an outsider's perspective, you can't be too hard on the guy. He did build his football and baseball stadiums Downtown when he didn't have to. I doubt he doesn't care about the city, even though this one particular act seems rather arrogant.

From what I've read, overall he doesn't seem like that bad of a guy, especially since he put his teams Downtown.

[Ravine]

I'd like to see the city put an olde English D on cop cars and stop, and write Illitch [[or his driver) every time he makes even a minor traffic violation. And make sure the D is on the citation also.

The city could probably dig out of debt since I'm sure that pompous turd thinks he's above the lawand doesn't have to obey traffic laws.

Meddle, that's not logical, and it demonstrates that you are pre-disposed toward hating the guy.
I can't criticize you for that, because-- while nobody comes to mind-- I suppose that I probably carry similar pre-dispositions.
The thing is, that demonstrated pre-disposition pretty much trashes anything else you may choose to write about him, because it is evident that you are grinding an axe.
And, I understand what you are saying about the "D"-- that you "associate it with the fourth letter of the alphabet"-- but surely [[and I promise to stop calling you that) you see what I mean, that the Detroit Tigers, long ago, adopted that specific style of the printed letter as their emblem.

As is so often the case in today's America, a lot of litigation & hard feelings could be avoided by the use of a simple combination of common sense & respect; in this case, the common sense to check into it, first [[another example: "...It also comes with a percussion cannon effect he hopes somebody told Detroit Police about.") and the respect involved in stopping to think, hey, aren't we kind of glomming onto the Tigers' emblem, here?

But then, that's where my pre-disposition comes into play: I am uncommonly devoted to Tiger Baseball, so I am touchy about it.
That's why, when I see some dope wearing a cerise-colored cap with the Tigers' "D" on it-- particularly if the cap is worn sideways or backward-- I feel an impulse to pound a 5-inch nail through it.

Oh, did I say that? How barbarous, of me. Maybe I should take that back, explain it in a way that makes no sense whatsoever, or blame it on some abstract psycho-emotional condition with which I have grandly diagnosed myself, in order to ensure that no one in DY thinks badly of me.

Ah, screw it. Just being honest is easier, and I'm lazy. I meant it, I really did.

[ja!mz]

Make him eat one of his own $5 shit pies for punishment...

[Downriviera]

Make him eat one of his own $5 shit pies for punishment...

Good thing you called it a "shit pie", because if you said pizza pizza or hot n ready you would have infringed on his trademarks.