Companies versus their fans
The real thing, God save us.
The famous maker of candies and candy-dispensers is suing the owners of the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia in Northern California, claiming that its venture into Pez homage, which includes a Guinness-record largest replica of a Pez dispenser, infringe the firm’s trademarks and “deceive the public into thinking that the museum is operating under the authority of Pez.”
You can just imagine how fans feel when they realize this is not true — that the giant Pez dispenser, the whole Pez moment they were sharing with their families was unauthorized…. counterfeit… illicit.
Well, deceived of course! That’s how they feel.
Yes… they stare stupidly onto the interstate the whole ride back home, not knowing whether to feel like the most naive marks ever to be duped into thinking a Pez collection was authorized, or whether they should be securing counsel and begging for peace and no worse than nominal damages and attorneys’ fees — and of course a permanent injunction with molto back-end liquidated damages and then some — for their own sordid part in the whole scummy charade. For at some point, after all, you have to reckon with wilfull blindness, even on a consumer’s part. And if you press the point, really, think it through…
They knew it, really. They never really believed, in their hearts of hearts, that this was authorized Pez. This is never how the Pez people would do it. But what harried parent could take a stand and turn down the chance to save a few bucks and stretch out a family vacation to include one more tacky “attraction” in lean times… and to hell with Pez, and their decades of hard-earned brand equity, all those licensing fees duly paid to manufacture miniature heads (authorized heads, damn it!) of Popeye and Mickey Mouse and President Kennedy so these beloved friends to all children could effortlessly open their gullets and dispense those delicate light-fruity lozenges of Pezzy pleasure into those tiny, expectant fingers …
And now? Now what’s the lesson for sad little Timmy and bawling little Judy in the back of the minivan — now that they know what Mom and Dad knew all along:
“Museum of Pez Memorabilia”? Pez?! You want a real Pez museum?
You can’t handle a real Pez museum.
July 7th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
LIKELY / CONFUSION Companies versus their fans: Walter Olson:
The famous maker of candies and .. http://tinyurl.com/nze2w8
July 7th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
[...] do I like Ron Coleman so? He is completely unafraid to make a blatant Pez(tm) pun sure to induce a full-body groan in at least 40 percent of the general [...]
July 7th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
[...] Ron Coleman is being disrespectful (”You can’t handle a real Pez [...]
July 8th, 2009 at 1:11 am
Suing your customers to prevent them from saying too loudly that they like your product. Hey, there’s a brilliant marketing ploy!
Next step: Suing retailers who position your product too prominently on their store shelves.
July 8th, 2009 at 9:31 am
@RonColeman is a saucy man: “You want a real Pez museum? You can’t *handle* a real Pez museum.” Tee hee http://ow.ly/gJht
July 13th, 2009 at 3:42 am
[...] Finally, I blogged last week about the lawsuit filed by Pez against a Pez museum that some fans had set up in San Mateo, California, but Ron Coleman at Likelihood of Confusion was funnier about it. [...]
July 13th, 2009 at 10:54 am
I guess I’m in the 60%.
What PEZ pun?
(Being an incorridgable punster myself, I often avoid inccoridging others, but…)