Again, the ability to make money based on licensing deals...in which the 2nd party would have to AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THE DEAL...is a lot different than forcing somebody to pay royalties for praying, which is what you all seem to think this is going to do.

This trademark was filed to protect their mark. It's as simple as that. If somebody down the road calls them up and offers to pay them for use of that mark any good business would consider it, and if it worked out for all parties, accept it. That doesn't make them a piece of shit. That makes them an American citizen doing what we are all here trying to do.

No I understand completely. I actually said somewhere he could CHOOSE to let them continue use and get PAID.

Another entity could want use. Tebow throws fit. They negotiate a monetary deal.
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It's not the government's job to protect people from confusion. It's also not the government's job to protect famous people's public image. Which is exactly what's happening in this case.

The USPTO stifles innovation, causes more confusion than it prevents, and costs manufacturers millions of unnecessary dollars. They can **** themselves.

Oh, of course, now it's the government that sucks. Tebow sucks for following the rules, America sucks for making those rules, and everything and everybody is just a big pile of dog shit because we're not all millionaires.

I've got an idea. Instead of wearing black to the Bengals game we should just all join together and kill ourselves. This world isn't good enough for us to live in if sports figures can trademark their marks.

Do you run your own business, by chance? If so, may I ask what your company is called and what you do?

It's always been the government's fault. I haven't argued otherwise. I'm in favor of the abolition of the majority of intellectual property rights. I've stated that long before this Tebow nonsense. The costs and complications of IP rights don't justify the benefits. And the fact that it's ineffective the majority of the time doesn't help the argument.

I just don't think it's necessary for people to pay the government to try and protect their reputation with regards to touchdown poses. It's the absurd end of the spectrum which should be a red flag that something is wrong with the system.

Well man, that's an entirely different argument for an entirely different thread.

The reality of the situation is there are legitimate reasons for such protection, there are laws in place that allow businesses to do so, and this Tebowing thing is a perfect example of one that fits, which is why they granted it. Believe me, it's not easy to get trademarks issued.

Unfortunately, like anything else, there are people who try to take advantage of it and cause you to dislike the whole thing. Fine. Don't call out a single person for following the rules to protect themselves and their business.

If you don't like the system now is a great time to be thinking about that, but again, that's for a different topic. That said, IP issues don't seem to be a very hot topic in the debates, so it's probably not going to be changing any time soon.