FW: [T3] just contacted by email...

["Andrew van der Stock" <ajv@greebo.net>]

This is what I sent 'em in the feedback form:

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You guys are making the very people who like VW extraordinarily hostile
towards the company and its products.

It is NOT trademark infringement to have pictures of *my car* on *my*
web site. It is NOT trademark infringement to write about Volkswagen or
any other company name - see the law statutes and any business newspaper
for proof positive of this. It is NOT trademark infringement to run
events for other car owners. It IS trademark infringement to attempt to
SELL like goods or services under the trademarks that you hold, for
example if someone tried to sell knock off copies of your distinctive
badge, or if another car manufacturer built a Golf or a New Beetle and
tried to sell them. 

All that is required to protect your marks is for the enthusiasts to put
"Volkswagen (tm)" or "Beetle (R)" on their pages. By law, people do not
have to license *ANYTHING* from you and you know it. It's just an ambit
claim to try and stifle free speech and enthusiast web sites. 

Trademark law, as you know being a lawyer, is a method of protecting you
from competitors who are SELLING products that trade upon the good will
of the VW brands and marks. Enthusiast sites, like mine, do nothing of
the sort, and you are chilling free speech. Your actions are legally
unenforceble and not in the spirit or the letter of the trademark law.
We do not sign license agreements with the papers for our car - we own
them. You cannot impose additional conditions after sale.

I've owned five VW's and with the current quality woes of my New Turbo
Beetle (the right rear bearing has rusted out and it's not even 7 months
old and the ABS unit has to be replaced because it could set fire to the
car), VW do not need to cause us any more grief! 

Be sensible, and stop pissing off the very people who make VW the third
largest car manufacturer today.

Check out the following supreme court decisions: 
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/empower?DB=SupctSyllabi&TOPDOC=0&QUE
RY00=trademark&PROP00=t=b

None of them uphold your disgusting attempt at chilling free speech.

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