Word ownership (see: "survivor")

[427TJ]

Heard this on the news this morning.

Residents of Potsdam, N.Y., have held a bake-off for the past 10 years to raise money for a local food pantry. This year, food manufacturing giant General Mills contacted organizers and told them it owns the word, and only the company can use it.

Event organizer Rose Revesi was not impressed. "That, I think, is a little silly, to think that you can own a word," Revesi said. "I mean I realize that they say that they do. But to own a word like 'bake-off.'"

"If you invented the word, maybe, but I don't know. Especially when most bake-offs are fundrasiers for good causes."

Still, organizers renamed Sunday's event a "baking contest." Organizers are still looking for a snappier name; they put a Pillsbury Doughboy cookie jar out at the event, as a suggestion box. One submission: "bake-on."

[Keith Tedford]

General Mills owns the products in their warehouses too. They can keep that stuff too.

[x Baldwin Motion]

Here's another one. Pillsbury and their parent company have claimed ownership of the term "bake-off" since 1949 and there are several lawsuits brought by the nasty little doughboy. bake this

[njsteve]

I think the should just rename it: "Pill's Barry F**k Off." Lets see if they own the rights to that term.

[427TJ]

[ QUOTE ]
"Pill's Barry F**k Off."

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh man Steve, if I had something in my mouth when I read that it would be all over my computer screen right now!

[Verne_Frantz]

and the same splatter should befall Bloomington Gold for trying to "own" the word survivor...

[x Baldwin Motion]

[ QUOTE ]
and the same splatter should befall Bloomington Gold for trying to "own" the word survivor...

[/ QUOTE ]

I haven't heard that one yet.
I remember in grade school, the riddle that asked; "Where will they bury the survivors?"