Jump to content

Bills File Trademark application on BillsMafia

MAJBobby

By MAJBobby
in The Stadium Wall Archives

 Share
Hapless Bills Fan
Message added by Hapless Bills Fan

From Del Reid:

 

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 208
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

C.Biscuit97
C.Biscuit97

Honestly, it’s completely garbage. Reid is a great dude and does a ton for charity (and they have awesome gear, support them).  He helped create it And the Bills are trying to steal it from them.

aristocrat
aristocrat

why didn't del already have the copyright?

blitzboy54
blitzboy54

Sorry, Eff the Bills hard on this one. That’s some greedy nonsense. 

Posted Images

JustWinPlease Rookie

JustWinPlease

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

It’s a big corporation stepping on a small business.  Business wise, it’s makes total sense but it is completely scummy.  Someone can up with the term (which honestly I think is a corny but you can not deny it has taken off) and the Bills are stealing their idea.  
 

I hope there is more to the story (maybe throwing some money) but just being at work and looking quickly, it seems really crappy to do.

Well it wasn't a smart business decision to start a business around a phrase and not trademark the idea.

The Bills are making the smart business decision that the Bills Mafia people should've made on day one.

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
RoyBatty is alive Veteran

RoyBatty is alive

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Back the Blue said:

Damn...I was hoping the moniker would go away someday.  Instead the Bills trademarking makes it seem that they are embracing it, and will use it going forward.  
 

😞

 

That is an awfully bold assumption on your part.

 

Who knows, maybe they put in the trademark protection because the Bills organization DOESN"T like the image it portrays, like the drunks jumping on tables, maybe they did trademark the term so  isn't plastered all over t-shirts and other paraphernalia.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SDS Hall of Famer

SDS

Posted
Posted
21 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:


So if I opened a restaurant called Bills Grill with no Buffalo bills colors/signage etc, they could send a cease and desist?  I could not trademark my places name?


what everyone is missing here is that broadcasters, NFL personalities, players, etc...’have adopted that terminology towards the team. Therefore that term is recognized by society as being associated with the Buffalo Bills. That’s where this got ugly for some people. Honestly, this is the correct decision and I have wondered why it was taken this long to come down.

3 minutes ago, JustWinPlease said:

Well it wasn't a smart business decision to start a business around a phrase and not trademark the idea.

The Bills are making the smart business decision that the Bills Mafia people should've made on day one.


that would have never been granted

  • Like (+1) 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Freddie's Dead Hall of Famer

Freddie's Dead

Posted
Posted

This is nothing more, nothing less, than IP theft.  The Bills no more own #BillsMafia than Mark Zuckerberg owned Facebook (stolen from the Winklevoss twins) or Bill Gates owned Windows (stolen from Apple, who in turn stole it from Xerox PARC).  I've had my IP stolen, and there is no lower form of life on earth than the IP thief.  I get that #BillsMafia could not be trademarked or copyrighted because it used the Bills name.  But for the Pegulas to turn around and try to trademark it now, after someone else popularized the name, that's nothing but IP theft.  Unfortunately, thems with the lawyers and money wins.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RoyBatty is alive Veteran

RoyBatty is alive

Posted
Posted
Just now, Ethan in Portland said:

I know I am in the minority but others have supported me. I hate the Bills mafia moniker. Especially the drunken table jumping morons. Its an emberassment to the team and anyone from the region. 

 

Yep, read my post 3 back.  The term doesnt bother me at all BUT i think it might irritate/embarrass the organization.  Trademark is one attempt to control its unauthorized spread.  

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
LeGOATski Hall of Famer

LeGOATski

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, SDS said:


what everyone is missing here is that broadcasters, NFL personalities, players, etc...’have adopted that terminology towards the team. Therefore that term is recognized by society as being associated with the Buffalo Bills. That’s where this got ugly for some people. Honestly, this is the correct decision and I have wondered why it was taken this long to come down.

I assume they were monitoring it from the beginning to see where the term and team went.

 

 

The term and the team are kind of hitting their stride together and it will be thrown around a lot more by "influencers."

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Buffalo716 Hall of Famer

Buffalo716

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, MAJBobby said:

And this is why it is important. In the 90s they would Pay Texas A&M to license the use of the 12th Man.  

 

Now anyone wanting to use Bills Mafia would be subject to needing the same licensing agreement with the Bills.

 

https://www.goodbullhunting.com/telcoag/2014/7/30/5953545/12th-man-trademark-agreement-texas-am-aggies-buffalo-bills

The point is bills Mafia has bills in it which is already trademarked by bills. So 26 couldn't trademark bills Mafia

 

We payed a&m to use 12th man because they already had it trademarked 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SlimShady'sSpaceForce Hall of Famer

SlimShady'sSpaceForce

Posted
Posted

INTENDS TO SELL 

 

so as Roy indicated. 
 

Are they? 
 

6 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

 

Yep, read my post 3 back.  The term doesnt bother me at all BUT i think it might irritate/embarrass the organization.  Trademark is one attempt to control its unauthorized spread.  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
4_kidd_4 Veteran

4_kidd_4

Posted
Posted
28 minutes ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

How many of you people have briefly met, known or dealt with a real Mafia member?

 

You keel your lips shut. 
 

or else 

 

Oh, I know plenty. In fact, I live next door to some of them. For real.

 

I’m always VERY generous to them with fresh basil from our summer garden.

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
NoSaint Hall of Famer

NoSaint

Posted
Posted
50 minutes ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

Fans not happy 

 

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/fans-not-happy-team-filed-154142828.html

 

 


Oh well? No big deal. This stuff isn’t abnormal. The saints went through it with “who dat” gear not long ago

 

the bills have a brand to protect and profit from. They are obligated to protect it or lose protections in many cases. honestly I was surprised the bills didn’t do this sooner.

  • Like (+1) 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dpberr Veteran

dpberr

Posted
Posted

There's no angle I see where the corporate Bills look good here.  

 

At best, it looks like a desperate way to gin revenue.  At worst, it's using their corporate muscle to outmaneuver a fan.  

 

It's always ticky-tack stuff like this that gets the tone-deaf wealthy in trouble. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SDS Hall of Famer

SDS

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Bronxbomber21 said:

What's crazy is that the Bills organization didn't want anything to do with the Bills Mafia slogan and now they want to take credit for it and get paid....WOW


Who said they want to take credit for it? The problem is that regardless of what they wanted, the term became associated with the team and once that happens you can’t have the NFL industry referring to a private persons property. The NFL is like a real thing you know what I mean?

  • Like (+1) 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Beast All Pro

Beast

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, MAJBobby said:

Because the Bills are taking a grassroots, fan verbiage that thy had nothing to do with and well are claiming theirs and will not charge anyone that ill want to use BillsMafia

 

There would be no BillsMafia without the Buffalo Bills so there's that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Penfield45 Veteran

Penfield45

Posted
Posted (edited)

horrible look for pegula if they start taking legal action against fans for making bills mafia merch. 

 

trademarking a term your own fans created? Yikes. NFL is embarrassing with the amount of money they want from everyone and everything. 

Edited by Penfield45
Link to comment
Share on other sites
LABILLBACKER Hall of Famer

LABILLBACKER

Posted
Posted

Should Del have copyright'd.....yes. I think he was caught off guard by the Pegulas doing this. Is the term mafia somewhat inappropriate?  Probably, but as Scott pointed out this moniker has already been nationally accepted by analysts everywhere. I guess the part that will always bother me is the big rich corporation coming in to take over the small guy. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lurker All Pro

Lurker

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, NoSaint said:


if you don’t protect your trademarks you definitely risk them. Which could be a factor.

 

also just because Reid is doing positive now doesn’t mean he or others always will.

 

the optics are bad but the decision is sound and reasonable based on my limited knowledge of the situation.

 

Agreed.    Protecting how the term "Bills Mafia" is used in the future is totally within their rights, based on what we know right now.    

 

For example, what if someone were to make a t-shirt with  "Fu**'en Yeah, Bills Mafia"  The team would have to have the right to issue a cease & desist order to protect their (and the NFL's) image.

 

Or if someone were to create a "Bills Mafia" line of dildos featuring Tom Brady's face.    Hey....that actually sounds like a good marketing idea...

 

 

 

 

Edited by Lurker
  • Like (+1) 1
  • Haha (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Golden*Wheels Veteran

Golden*Wheels

Posted
Posted (edited)

I wasn't aware there was a "legit", let alone in any way charitable org I could get Mafia stuff from....I've just been doing ebay. Who do I support real quick BEFORE the Bills take it over?

 

Gotta say my fav shirt is a non Bills buffalo on a crest with five stars. Just says "Mafia". I assume you can't trademark that.

 

 

Edited by Golden*Wheels
Link to comment
Share on other sites
SDS Hall of Famer

SDS

Posted
Posted

For anyone who follows trademark law, they will understand that confusion is central to the issue. If people are confused about the bills not owning bills mafia then it’s done. They have to control that and protect their property.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bronxbomber21 Veteran

Bronxbomber21

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, SDS said:


Who said they want to take credit for it? The problem is that regardless of what they wanted, the term became associated with the team and once that happens you can’t have the NFL industry referring to a private persons property. The NFL is like a real thing you know what I mean?

Well then shouldn't the Bills organization work out a deal with said private person 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LABILLBACKER Hall of Famer

LABILLBACKER

Posted
Posted
12 minutes ago, dpberr said:

There's no angle I see where the corporate Bills look good here.  

 

At best, it looks like a desperate way to gin revenue.  At worst, it's using their corporate muscle to outmaneuver a fan.  

 

It's always ticky-tack stuff like this that gets the tone-deaf wealthy in trouble. 

 

 

This is the part I don't get. They had to know the narrative of BillsMafia. Did some marketing dude just pitch them to say F it and let's get some more merch revenue. The optics of this is terrible but each and every day I see money push ethics aside. And it will never end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MAJBobby Hall of Famer

MAJBobby

Posted
  • Author
Posted
16 minutes ago, Beast said:

 

There would be no BillsMafia without the Buffalo Bills so there's that.

Just like there are no Player brands without the Buffalo Bills. Should they start trademarking those?

14 minutes ago, SDS said:

For anyone who follows trademark law, they will understand that confusion is central to the issue. If people are confused about the bills not owning bills mafia then it’s done. They have to control that and protect their property.

Bills Never controlled Bills Mafia that was a grassroots fan thing. They didn’t have to protect anything. It wasn’t theirs 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lurker All Pro

Lurker

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, MAJBobby said:

Just like there are no Player brands without the Buffalo Bills. Should they start trademarking those?

Bills Never controlled Bills Mafia that was a grassroots fan thing. They didn’t have to protect anything. It wasn’t theirs 

 

Lol.  So if Pepsi Mafia or Bud Light Mafia catch on, those companies have no right to control their use either?

 

Not may business people on this board, I guess...

  • Like (+1) 1
  • Haha (+1) 1
  • Thank you (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
MAJBobby Hall of Famer

MAJBobby

Posted
  • Author
Posted
2 minutes ago, Lurker said:

 

Lol.  So if Pepsi Mafia or Bud Light Mafia catch on, those companies have no right to control their use either?

 

Not may business people on this board, I guess...

 

Yeah Business people.  are here.  Just your standard PR nightmare from Pegulas, happens one a QTR

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Chandler#81 Hall of Famer

Chandler#81

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

Honestly, it’s completely garbage. Reid is a great dude and does a ton for charity (and they have awesome gear, support them).  He helped create it And the Bills are trying to steal it from them.

 

i really hope there is more to this story because the Bills look like a greedy, scumbag organization right now. 

 

omg. Lighten tf up. What’s the 1st word in Billsmafia?

Bingo. #Trademark rights

  • Like (+1) 3
  • Thank you (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...