Saturday, April 07, 2007

Stitch and Bitch

I just finished reading an interesting timeline showing how a company has tried to take an expression, stitch and bitch, and trademark it while pretending they are the first to ever use it.

(This is reminiscent of Marvel and DC trying to trademark the word superhero. My understanding is the two rivals are trying to keep the word out of the hands of the independent comics.)

Sew Fast, Sew Easy has used two dodgy companies, CafePress and Yahoo, to try and shut down as many small knitting communities as possible. The owner of the site with the timeline, a boycott Sew Fast, Sew Easy site, states more than once that the members of these knitting clubs are not for profit but I don't think that even matters. Sew Fast, Sew Easy did not invent the expression. I remember my mother and a friend, who taught me to sew a button on my playsuit when I was eight, using it to my very juvenile delight.

I'm disgusted by corporations attempts to own the building blocks of language. I heard (don't know it it's true or not) that Donald Trump trademarked "you're fired."

What's the purpose of a trademark again? Isn't it supposed to be to keep people from being confused as to what product they are getting? You don't want Coke and Koke to be manufactured because someone might get confused. That makes some sense. But you're fired? *Pouring cereal in a bowl? Make me laugh.


*Patent pending

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