Pork board squeals over imaginary unicorn meat
Sarah Skidmore
From Associated Press
June 22, 2010 8:24 PM EDT
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — It's official: The National Pork Board says it knows unicorns don't exist.
The industry group says it was only protecting its trademark when it issued cease-and-desist warning to online retailer ThinkGeek for calling a fake unicorn meat product "the new white meat."
The fictional canned meat, described as an "excellent source of sparkles," was an April Fool's prank.
But the 12-page letter from the board's law firm was no joke.
"We certainly offered our apologies," Scott Kauffman, President and CEO of Geeknet Inc., the parent company of ThinkGeek, told the Associated Press. "It was not our intention to confuse the public as to the attributes and qualities of the two meats."
In a public apology this week, ThinkGeek said its nonexistent canned unicorn meat is sparkly, a bit red and not approved by any government entity.
"We certainly understand that unicorns don't exist," said Ceci Snyder, vice president of marketing for the National Pork Board. "Yes, it's funny. But if you don't respond, you are opening your trademark up to challenges."
The council said it is in discussions with the company.
"Where we feel victimized, is I don't know of another organization that does more to promote pork products than our site," Kauffman said, noting the company sells around 20 real items related to bacon, such as bacon gumballs and bacon soap.
ThinkGeek "launches" mock products every April Fool's day. The company said it was surprised the board did not raise any concerns about another prank item this year called "My First Bacon" — a talking stuffed toy that looked like a piece of bacon.
"To be attacked in this manner, given all we do for pork, the irony is not lost on us," he said.
Sarah Skidmore
From Associated Press
June 22, 2010 8:24 PM EDT
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — It's official: The National Pork Board says it knows unicorns don't exist.
The industry group says it was only protecting its trademark when it issued cease-and-desist warning to online retailer ThinkGeek for calling a fake unicorn meat product "the new white meat."
The fictional canned meat, described as an "excellent source of sparkles," was an April Fool's prank.
But the 12-page letter from the board's law firm was no joke.
"We certainly offered our apologies," Scott Kauffman, President and CEO of Geeknet Inc., the parent company of ThinkGeek, told the Associated Press. "It was not our intention to confuse the public as to the attributes and qualities of the two meats."
In a public apology this week, ThinkGeek said its nonexistent canned unicorn meat is sparkly, a bit red and not approved by any government entity.
"We certainly understand that unicorns don't exist," said Ceci Snyder, vice president of marketing for the National Pork Board. "Yes, it's funny. But if you don't respond, you are opening your trademark up to challenges."
The council said it is in discussions with the company.
"Where we feel victimized, is I don't know of another organization that does more to promote pork products than our site," Kauffman said, noting the company sells around 20 real items related to bacon, such as bacon gumballs and bacon soap.
ThinkGeek "launches" mock products every April Fool's day. The company said it was surprised the board did not raise any concerns about another prank item this year called "My First Bacon" — a talking stuffed toy that looked like a piece of bacon.
"To be attacked in this manner, given all we do for pork, the irony is not lost on us," he said.
1 comment:
Hum... some would only consider this a "April Fool's prank," to be excused as mere fun and games. And it's not like this is the first time, for ThinkGeek has previously given held the port industry up to a bit of ribbing with it's bacon prank. But this time the National Pork Board responds with a heavy handed bit of legal "cease-and-desist." Sad that ThinkGeek is now silenced. Apparently the pork industry must be protected from such unfair ridicule. Thinking of pork, the situation is not unlike that of the president and staff whose political skin is to thin to take similar sophomoric ribbing. The pork industry could have just excused the matter knowing that everyone would see it was just a joke. But of course the current administration could not similarly dismiss similar jibes. After all, credibility, etc., was on the line. The irony of the entire matter is inescapable.
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