ADVERTISEMENT

Hawkeye Heaven getting called out by the Media on Twitter for ripping off logo from charitable group

https://www.raygunsite.com/products/515-logo-mini-sticker

Certainly looks like there is a "R" at bottom.

In that example, it looks more like the "R" is denoting a Raygun watermark. The "R" that means something is usually in a circle, denoting a registered trademark.

Even if that actually was a signal for registered trademark, what does Raygun own? Do they have to be paid every time the outline of Iowa is printed? If I call my parents in the 515, do I owe them money?
 
Well, I'm focusing on what I think is legit trademarking. If I take the outline of the state and use Helvetica size 14 font, is that trademark-able? I guess, maybe? But then what if someone else uses the state outline (which I cannot possibly own or else generations of map makers owe me money, and maybe God Himself does) with Times New Roman? I look at the HH and the cyclists logos and HH is clearly using a different font.....so what is actually intellectual property here?

For the record, I've fully acknowledged that the HH guy is a sincere douchenozzle, I just want to know what it is I can own. If I'm the first guy to put an outline of the US on an arm sleeve, does that mean that I own the outline of the US?
Well what you think is legit is not law. Clearly neither you or I have much background on the subject . But it does appear Raygun for example registered a map of Iowa with 515.
 
ed2.png
 
In that example, it looks more like the "R" is denoting a Raygun watermark. The "R" that means something is usually in a circle, denoting a registered trademark.

Even if that actually was a signal for registered trademark, what does Raygun own? Do they have to be paid every time the outline of Iowa is printed? If I call my parents in the 515, do I owe them money?
No, I am guessing it is only for that logo they created. So you could make a Iowa 515 shirt, it just can't be an exact not similar copy of a registered logo
 
I like that some are focusing on saying THIS one ain’t no big deal, regardless of all the other bad, rip-off acts; what a microcosm of our current political climate.

“I’m supposed to be mad about this? Shit this guy does way worse!”
 
  • Like
Reactions: Franisdaman
Well what you think is legit is not law. Clearly neither you or I have much background on the subject . But it does appear Raygun for example registered a map of Iowa with 515.

But I don't think they have. Their "R" is in a square. The official symbol for a registered trademark is a capital R in a circle. Can I just make a t-shirt tomorrow with Iowa Hawkeyes on it, put a capital R in a hexagon under the logo and expect the UI to pay me? Nope.
 
No, I am guessing it is only for that logo they created. So you could make a Iowa 515 shirt, it just can't be an exact not similar copy of a registered logo

Well, it comes down to what the original owns. The HH logo is clearly in a much plainer font. The outline of the state of Iowa is the same, but I can't imagine there's an argument that the cyclist group owns the outline of the state of Iowa. They also can't own the area code. There are literally dozens upon dozens of examples of area codes inside state outlines, so they can't singularly own that concept......so they'd have to hang their hat on overall look, so if the font is clearly different, where is the ownership?
 
I like that some are focusing on saying THIS one ain’t no big deal, regardless of all the other bad, rip-off acts; what a microcosm of our current political climate.

“I’m supposed to be mad about this? Shit this guy does way worse!”

I'm focused on the reach of ownership. HH probably did knock off this logo....but what did the motorcyclist group really own? Are they going to claim that Rand McNally has been knocking off their outline of the state of Iowa for generations?
 
I'm focused on the reach of ownership. HH probably did knock off this logo....but what did the motorcyclist group really own? Are they going to claim that Rand McNally has been knocking off their outline of the state of Iowa for generations?
No, I think people on twitter, Facebook and HROT are going to call this shothead our for it...but apparently you’ll be here to defend it, in a weird, technical way.

Has someone demanded he be successfully sued, that I missed?
 
When he's not reposting stuff from other people, he's posting political commentary on football players who kneel or whatever topic of the day.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wendy79
No, I think people on twitter, Facebook and HROT are going to call this shothead our for it...but apparently you’ll be here to defend it, in a weird, technical way.

Has someone demanded he be successfully sued, that I missed?

I have no issue with him being called out for it. He's done plenty in the past to draw the ire of the fan base. But where do we draw the line? What about these shirts:

x354-q80.jpg


What if an amazing charity has been printing these for years, raising money for great causes and I decide to print a few myself. Maybe it makes me a DB on some level, but what have I really violated? The charity doesn't own the word "Iowa" or an oval with a number in it.

The point is this....the guy running HH is a DB with no doubt. But if we all cave and somehow force him to stop making anything with 319 in the state of Iowa, that implies that anyone else making something with 319 inside the Iowa outline is verboten. Is that really what we want when there are dozens and dozens of examples of other area codes in other state outlines out there around the country?
 
I have no issue with him being called out for it. He's done plenty in the past to draw the ire of the fan base. But where do we draw the line? What about these shirts:

x354-q80.jpg


What if an amazing charity has been printing these for years, raising money for great causes and I decide to print a few myself. Maybe it makes me a DB on some level, but what have I really violated? The charity doesn't own the word "Iowa" or an oval with a number in it.

The point is this....the guy running HH is a DB with no doubt. But if we all cave and somehow force him to stop making anything with 319 in the state of Iowa, that implies that anyone else making something with 319 inside the Iowa outline is verboten. Is that really what we want when there are dozens and dozens of examples of other area codes in other state outlines out there around the country?

Why are you drawing any line on people calling him out for stealing other peoples stuff or ideas?

Your conclusion seems to be to let him be because there are a lot of others like him. We shouldn’t want dozens of him. Support the real journos.
 
Why are you drawing any line on people calling him out for stealing other peoples stuff or ideas?

Your conclusion seems to be to let him be because there are a lot of others like him.

Wait, so you're saying that the Iowa group using 319 inside the state of Iowa logo owns the concept and that everyone else in the country is stealing their IP? Really?

Look, this guy is well documented for stealing real IP. He's stolen photos and slapped his watermark on them, he's run plenty of information on his site without attribution, etc. He should be curb-stomped for all that. All of that history doesn't mean that the charitable Iowa cycling group owns the concept of a state outline with an area code in it.
 
Wait, so you're saying that the Iowa group using 319 inside the state of Iowa logo owns the concept and that everyone else in the country is stealing their IP? Really?

Look, this guy is well documented for stealing real IP. He's stolen photos and slapped his watermark on them, he's run plenty of information on his site without attribution, etc. He should be curb-stomped for all that. All of that history doesn't mean that the charitable Iowa cycling group owns the concept of a state outline with an area code in it.

I don’t know why you are trying to claim things that I’ve never posted.

In one post you say we need to draw a line, and I questioned why there needed to be a line protecting someone so proven to steal ideas
In another post you question whether people will criticize that Rand McNally owns the state outline, and I said no, people criticize him for stealing other peoples work in general.

You admit he is well documented stealing, etc., but then are here defending his doing so - because “twelve other people” are also doing so.

Not sure why that line, on HROT or Twitter or Facebook ever needs to be drawn. This isn’t court.
 
I don’t know why you are trying to claim things that I’ve never posted.

In one post you say we need to draw a line, and I questioned why there needed to be a line protecting someone so proven to steal ideas
In another post you question whether people will criticize that Rand McNally owns the state outline, and I said no, people criticize him for stealing other peoples work in general.

You admit he is well documented stealing, etc., but then are here defending his doing so - because “twelve other people” are also doing so.

Not sure why that line, on HROT or Twitter or Facebook ever needs to be drawn. This isn’t court.

You're doing your usual "argue to argue" game. Most of my talk about copyright and ownership is with another poster, but you quoted me out of that string, so I lumped it all in. Anyone who wants to hammer him for all his other IP theft has my full blessing and I'll join them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WhiteSoxClone
I don’t know why you are trying to claim things that I’ve never posted.

In one post you say we need to draw a line, and I questioned why there needed to be a line protecting someone so proven to steal ideas
In another post you question whether people will criticize that Rand McNally owns the state outline, and I said no, people criticize him for stealing other peoples work in general.

You admit he is well documented stealing, etc., but then are here defending his doing so - because “twelve other people” are also doing so.

Not sure why that line, on HROT or Twitter or Facebook ever needs to be drawn. This isn’t court.

To add to my last post, what's the overall message if this guy is widely castigated on the concept that he stole THIS logo? Does this effectively make 319 inside the state of Iowa outline off-limits to everyone? Or only previously documented DBs?
 
To add to my last post, what's the overall message if this guy is widely castigated on the concept that he stole THIS logo? Does this effectively make 319 inside the state of Iowa outline off-limits to everyone? Or only previously documented DBs?

I don’t know why you limit him to being a previously documented dB, as opposed to one of those who also stole everything else he has on his site.

You are trying to extrapolate while pretending not to be defending him, but clearly are.
 
You're doing your usual "argue to argue" game. Most of my talk about copyright and ownership is with another poster, but you quoted me out of that string, so I lumped it all in. Anyone who wants to hammer him for all his other IP theft has my full blessing and I'll join them.

That was my question - why defend this, knowing and believing what you claim to know and believe about him? For fun? And I’m the one arguing to argue?
 
Wait, so you're saying that the Iowa group using 319 inside the state of Iowa logo owns the concept and that everyone else in the country is stealing their IP? Really?

Look, this guy is well documented for stealing real IP. He's stolen photos and slapped his watermark on them, he's run plenty of information on his site without attribution, etc. He should be curb-stomped for all that. All of that history doesn't mean that the charitable Iowa cycling group owns the concept of a state outline with an area code in it.
If they are granted a trademark. But I have a feeling you might not grasp that concept
 
If they are granted a trademark. But I have a feeling you might not grasp that concept

I'm saying that would be the reason why they likely don't have a trademark. I haven't seen a copyright or trademark symbol on any of the items/logos posted in this thread.
 
I don’t know why you limit him to being a previously documented dB, as opposed to one of those who also stole everything else he has on his site.

You are trying to extrapolate while pretending not to be defending him, but clearly are.

If you have read hawkifann's posts as defending the guy as opposed to debating this one particular example, then that is your problem. No where has he offered a general defense of this guy. In fact, he has gone out of his way to say that the guy has a bad history, but that the motorcycle group doesn't own a strong, or possibly even protectable, trademark.

As he said, you love to argue just to argue. And since its impossible for you to not have the last word, feel free to tell me how wrong I am. I'm going to hang up and not listen anyway.
 
The state's border with an area code inside seems so generic that nobody should be able to claim intellectual property rights to it.

This 100%

There are shirts sold in Indianapolis that are the same except they use Indiana instead of Iowa and they use 317 for Indy's area code.

mockup-c1167c7c.png


https://hoosierthreads.com/product/317-t-shirt/

The idea is far far too generic to claim any intellectual property rights on it. And it is entirely conceivable that two people could come up with this idea. Especially when you consider you can find the same idea for other states and area codes.

Shoot here is some with some other Indiana area codes.

mockup-2a1930ae.png


mockup-11b075bf.png
 
Last edited:
ADVERTISEMENT