So, anyone who wants to write a book, make a movie or TV show or create an action figure Seal Team 6 member shooting an action figure Osama (with realFake(TM) blood spurting) has to pay Disney for the privilege.
I wonder if the Seal Team members will have to pay royalties to Disney for this patch on their uniforms.
In a perfect example of a big media company looking to capitalize on current events, The Walt Disney Company has trademarked “Seal Team 6,” which also happens to be the name of the elite special forces team that killed Osama Bin Laden.
The trademark applications came on May 3rd, two days after the operation that killed Bin Laden… and two days after “Seal Team 6″ was included in thousands of news articles and TV programs focusing on the operation.
Disney’s trademark applications for “Seal Team 6″ cover clothing, footwear, headwear, toys, games and “entertainment and education services,” among other things.
Eeeeeevil.
How can the application NOT be denied?
How can a private corporation trademark the codename for a US military force? Seems invalid on its face. Of course the story is that they have applied for trademarks, not that those trademarks have been granted. And just for the record, trademarks are not the same as copyright. Your post reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of what trademark protection is.
[No, it’s just late in the day. Fixed. — UD]
I guess there’s someone at Disney hoping that the fog of war doesn’t clear to reveal it was actually Seal Team 7 that did it.
They can kiss my……….they won’t get a penny from me for any of their seal team 6 garbage.
Disney jumps the shark of bad taste.
So it was Goofy that accidentally shot Bin Laden??
I’ve always wonder just how these large corporations get away with exploiting various taxpayer funded entities and properties, without paying some kind of royalty themselves, into the government kitty? For example, the DoD pays some company to design and build a new fighter jet. But apparently said company gets to keep all the rights to the patents, for later sales to foreign markets. The US taxpayers never see a dime in royalties for funding their products. That’s not how it works with individuals working for them! You come up with anything, while in their employee, and they own it, even if it’s got nothing to do with their main product line. Come up with a fancy new toilet plunger, and you’ll need to clear that with Lockheed, if you’re working for them. But apparently, major defense contractors don’t feel they’re actually working for the US taxpayers. And the government that represents us, doesn’t feel it necessary to insist on retaining patent rights. So Boeing and Lockheed can turn right around and apply whatever it learns from designing military jets and rockets, to their lines of commercial aircraft. And the DoD and NASA says nothing about it. Free Enterprise, eh? Accept that it’s heavily US taxpayer subsidized. So it’s not “Free” at all.
In fact I’ve maintained that the space program largely exists to fund said corporations thru peace time defense contracting lulls. With the Space Shuttle program coming to an end, pretty soon. One wonders what new, highly expensive war is being dreamed up to make up for the budget loss? Or will they get Hollywood to justify a return to the Moon, or putting a base on Mars. Never mind that the nations economy is on the skids. Just as long as aerospace contractors aren’t feeling the pinch.
And they don’t have to pay any fees or surcharges for anything they develop under government contracts. Free-loaders.
In case you weren’t aware of this, Disney is a defense contractor. They may not make jets and weapons. But they do make movies that suit the government’s (or military’s) need for budgeting propaganda. Remember “Operation Dumbo Drop”? That was one of Disney’s. And it helped smooth over post Vietnam resentments, so a cheap labor market could be opened up with that country. My uncle wears a shirt, made in Vietnam. Thank you Disney, for making it possible to avoid paying an American laborer to make that shirt
So now Disney got the marketing rights to a Naval organization. In turn for helping to spur recruitment, no doubt. Notice how all this happened weeks before the Class of 2011 graduations. Not too late to sign up to be just like the “heroes” of “Seal Team Six”. Only it’s extremely unlikely, any new recruits will qualify, and end up doing far less glamorous and heroic jobs, or thankless ones they’ll still be killed doing. I wonder which Pentagon official got bribed to OK that sweet deal?
I wonder who their biggest shareholder is?
Surely he can’t be a greedy person – can he?
The answer to Glenn E. is that government the world over is under the control of people who simply use employment in that area as a chance to exploit opportunities for their own benefit and the disadvantage of the general public.
Our lot in the UK borrowed 11 Millions for reconstruction of hospitals etc promising to pay back a figure of (approaching) 60 millions. That particular scheme (in the public interest of course) is continuing today.
The common feature of Civil Servants is their hostility to the general public (i.e. tax authorities)and their view of the public as ‘the enemy’. The service which employs them is for the benefit of the employees and the organisation, NOT the public. Far too many examples of it exist for this not to be the case.
Very smart move on Disney’s part. I can see a movie out on this as well.
What ever happened to “prior art”?
Maybe it’s a new cartoon movie about half a dozen pinnipeds that play beach volleyball…
Disney designed the insignia of the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) and as far as I know never made a dime off of it.
wow disney just pissed off the wrong people… look for helicopter assault on the magic kingdom hq shortly, someone is gonna die.
Now why didn’t I think of that?
#8 Glenn
“For example, the DoD pays some company to design and build a new fighter jet. But apparently said company gets to keep all the rights to the patents, for later sales to foreign markets.”
The US government does keep rights, etc. If a defense company wishes to sell something to a foreign entity, the sale has to be cleared thru the US government for all the relevant technology in the product.
For example, the DoD paid for the development of the F-22 fighter and we are buying 187 of them. However, the plane is NOT available for sale to other countries. Even countries such as Japan, Australia and Israel. All three very much desire the plane, but the technology behind it is considered to sensitive to leave US hands, even in a degraded “export” version.
On the other hand, there is the F-35. This is an airplane that has always been considered to being exported, if not outright built, overseas. The design and development is a multinational program including the UK, Italy, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, and Turkey. Even with this joint development, “On 24 November 2009, Jon Schreiber, head of F-35 international affairs program for the Pentagon, said that the United States will not share the software code for the F-35 with its allies.”
It’s a money deal. Disney pays the Navy a million dollars a year for the franchise, plus 2% of logo sales.
The future is bright spinoffs include Duck Team Six, Mouse Team Six and so on.
New mascot for the Lady Seals: Cruella deVil.
Operations Tinker Bell for stealth and Mad Hatter for complete area “sanitization.”
New nicknames must be taken from the Wikipedia Disney Character Names list. Disney will then issue free color “calling cards” to be left at the scene of assassinations, featuring wry slogans like “You have just been thumped by Thumper,” “We Baloo you up!” and so on.
This is the new world of cartoon war. A whole new theme park direction has been identified: Explosia. Where you can launch missiles, target friends and “get” your little sister, once and for all.
And the Navy gets 2%!! Such a deal.
Glenn E, when does this “peace time defense contracting lull” happen? I thought the defense budget went up every year.
I can’t wait for the Seal Team 6 ride at Disneyland!!! How amazing will it be to take the family out to shoot terrorists and Somali Pirates in 3D and grab an overpriced corndog after?
#3–I must be wrong but I thought TRADEMARK was about protecting a trade–aka==an activity as in did HP make that copy machine or did Xerox? ie–to protect the identity of the one engaged in trade/commerce/war? Along with that and separately you can COPYRIGHT images and text that you have uniquely created.
Anyone can copyright a unique rendering by way of design and colors something that incorporates “Seal Team 6” but I would think only the Government could trademark a special ops team and that would be if its not public domain by definition?
Good example of initially good and rational ideas taken too far by “capitalistic/greedy interests. The courts are the last refuge of common sense and equity, and they seem to have broken down the last few decades–especially in the area of trademarks, copyright, patents. Pity as it does stifle creativity and progress in favor of vested interests. Unamerican in fact.
Seal Team Six is a phrase and the logo may not be an exact reproduction of the government one… I don’t know.
I have been aware for some years that after Walt D. died the company was taken over by rapacious sharks who would do anything, no matter how despicable, for money. I believe they have for some years been major investors in the porn industry. Most of their current work is not all that family values friendly in my view.
The views expressed are mine and in no way reflect my employers views or that of John C. Dvorak.
#22 “company was taken over by rapacious sharks who would do anything, no matter how despicable, for money”
It’s not just them, the NFL registered a trademark for use of the phrase “who dat” on apparel with the Florida Department of State when the Saints finally went to the Super Bowl. Then tried to force all the mom and pop shops to quit using it.
bobbo, IIRC the gubmint can’t trademark or copyright anything.
Seal Team 6 did not exist in the current timeframe per No Agenda by Dvorak and Curry.
So, how to reconcile?
That is, WTF?
In #24, Olo Baggins of Bywater said: gubmint can’t trademark or copyright anything
They can, its called public domain.
I may think his pot is definitely cracked, but give the devil his due. (Although he probably didn’t mean it as public domain. 🙂
I write a check every April 15 that gives me the right to put Seal Team 6 (or 5, or 4, or HM-15, or VF-1) on any damn thing I want. Those organizations are owned and operated by us and aren’t for sale. I’m really getting pissed off at this idiocracy.
#24, Mr. Baggins,
… gubmint can’t trademark or copyright anything.
Hmmm, I don’t know, but I understand it is a crime if you reproduce any symbol of the Federal Government or any agency.
An example would be the FBI shield. http://tinyurl.com/6xwqtmj
Copy that, put it on your car or biz card and see what happens.
Again, I don’t know as a fact, comments?
There ought to be a Law … about Profiteers mis-appropriating Public Property !!!
I think there’s a difference between government unable to copyright and using an FBI logo to impersonate a law enforcement officer. I’m curious what law prevents the use of Fed agency logos.
I do know this: government publications are not copyrighted, although some pubs may use previously copyrighted material, so watch your step. As for trademarks, I’m less certain of how that works.
Some info on the subject, but I’m too lazy to look further:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_status_of_work_by_the_U.S._government#Other_restrictions