The New York Sun reports that New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority has filed to register the phrase “If You See Something, Say Something” — its “watch out for presents from the religion of peace” campaign on the New York public transit system — as a trademark. It’s serial number 78696607 on TEAS, the trademark registration database, filed August 19th. Says the paper:
The move has surprised officials at many transit agencies, who had assumed the phrase, which is now used in various iterations as part of transit security programs from San Francisco to Sydney, Australia, was an industry version of a free download.
It surprised them, but it didn’t surprise LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION readers, who for months now have known about the MTA’s obsession with trademarks and copyrights! Others have noticed, too. Someone at the agency — could it be that unfriendly C-and-D-meister Lester Freundlich, who’s also the attorney of record on this application? — has identifed IP as a possible licensing profit center.
Look, no question they need the money, and IP exploitation could offer a great return on us turnstile jockies. Why, the rat I saw scurrying across the tracks of the E train last week at what should be the MTA’s showpiece station — Times Square — was so large that it’s scandalous that it didn’t have the MTA logo smartly emblazoned on its side. No way any two-legged denizens of subterranean Gotham would get away with that. And we don’t. Priorities!!
UPDATE: They got it.
Originally posted 2015-01-16 14:30:40. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
I don’t get it. What is the product or service associated with “if you see something, say something?”
Availability for seeing and saying something?