...put a Christmas wreath that featured the JW.org logo on your door? 🤔
Would You Get A Cease and Desist Letter From the WT if You...
by NotFormer 10 Replies latest jw friends
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BoogerMan
Ask Kevin McFree about the org's obsession with "copyright" infringement. 😄
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Biahi
Maybe when they get “new light” about holidays, the Borg will sell JW.Borg ornaments!
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TonusOH
I'm not sure there's anything they can do, if you are doing that on your personal property. If it got enough media attention, they might make a public statement clarifying their view on Christmas (which might be the most worthwhile thing to come from such an action). But I don't see how it would be a copyright issue. And defamation would be a very steep hill for the organization to climb, at least in the USA.
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NotFormer
I am currently out of my usual town. Before this trip, I read a few references on here to the JW.org symbol being on all things WT and thought that that must be being overstated. Then I went on this current trip. I've seen way more Kingdom Halls than I expected. And what struck me was how odd and out of place that JW.org sign looks on all of them.
I saw a Christmas wreath somewhere and had the inspiration of combining the two symbols. What would a JW in field service think if he saw their symbol in a Christmas wreath?
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road to nowhere
Who would waste money to do it?
Howzabout tge logo on a fence post and crown tie pin. Pioneers can sell them for support
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NotFormer
The original question was more to draw attention to the idea of how JWs would react if they suddenly saw their symbol incorporated in something that they see as symbolically evil. And the vision of the JW.org symbol incorporated into a Christmas wreath caused me more amusement than it probably would most here.
But, as is my wont*, I found out that the WT has actually been a bit sensitive about such things in the past, and there is a legal precedent. Apparently a Christmas album was released and it contained a song from the WT songbook that basically sounded kind of Christmassy. Well, WT Legal did their nut** and, of course, as is their wont, sued.
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5693298898370560/suing-music-industry
Back to the title, it's not just Christmas wreaths. The WT symbol on a large inflatable Santa would probably be funnier. Or spelled out in Rattigan's worldly Christmas lights:
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5107191200088064/ive-done-christmas-lights-outside
* Stoopid autocorrect. I had to fight it to get the totally correct English word "wont" on the page. 🙄
** Meaning they got very angry in an older way of speaking.
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JeffT
Yes, you would get a cease and desist order. The government has a searchable website of trademarked logos, and the Borg logo is listed.
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144thousand_and_one
They'd probably let it go. At this point, any clicks they can get are good clicks for them.
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Jeffro
If anything it might be trademark infringement rather than copyright infringement but unlikely to be enforced in a non-commercial private residence. In any case it would be more straightforward to make an obvious parody that is sufficiently similar to make the point.