Sam Adams for Mayor

This is my chuckle and tale of the ridiculous for the day.

City Commissioner Sam Adams is running for mayor in Portland, Oregon. Two radio personalities from KEX named Mark Mason and Dave Anderson purchased two domain names for Sam Adams to use - www.mayorsamadams.com (not active – he hasn’t been elected yet) and www.samadamsformayor.com.

Unexpectedly, they received a name infringement letter from the Boston Beer Company. Boston Beer uses the trademarks Sam Adams® and Samuel Adams®, so Sam Adams – the human being – was to immediately cease and desist using his own name on a website. The letter the company’s Intellectual Property Manager sent to David Anderson was so ridiculous (and now famous) that it sold for $1475.90 on E-Bay.

It seems we have come a long way into the realm of the ridiculous when a man can’t use his own name to run for public office without causing a furor and a potential lawsuit. I don’t know Sam Adams and I don’t live in Portland, so I won’t be able to vote for or against him for mayor. But I will cast my vote that he be allowed to keep and use his own name.

You can read about the infamous letter and the hullabaloo it caused by clicking here.

http://www.mercyandpercy.com/