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Author Topic:   Trademarks for Space Shuttle Atlantis (DNC)
Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-08-2016 06:45 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
collectSPACE
Space Shuttle Atlantis™: Legal filing cites service mark for NASA spacecraft

A lawsuit filed by the former concessionaire for Yosemite National Park against the federal government has raised a seemingly unrelated query: Who owns Space Shuttle Atlantis?

...in a response to a lawsuit over the value of Yosemite-related trademarks registered by DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite (DNCY), the park's concessionaire until this year, the U.S. Justice Department raised a concern.

"DNCY's parent company has apparently embarked on a business model whereby it collects trademarks to the names of iconic property owned by the United States," wrote Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Mizer in a Jan. 4 answer to the lawsuit. "Thus, for example, DNC [Delaware North Companies], which has a concession at the Kennedy Space Center, has a trademark application for the words 'Space Shuttle Atlantis.'"

DeepSea
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posted 01-08-2016 11:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for DeepSea     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Believe it has been established, as pointed out, that they were not seeking to trademark 'Space Shuttle Atlantis', which they would not be allowed to do as it is generic, but instead the logo they designed where the 'A' in Atlantis is built into the right wing of the stacked Orbiter.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-08-2016 11:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
There are two service marks: a logo treatment (as described and pictured in the article) and a word mark.

As such, the trademarks cover the logo and name of the attraction, which also happens to be "Space Shuttle Atlantis." The marks protect the exhibit's logo design for retail use (i.e. souvenirs) and prevents against the unlikely situation someone would try to open another exhibit named Space Shuttle Atlantis.

OV-105
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Posts: 816
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 01-10-2016 08:45 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for OV-105   Click Here to Email OV-105     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I can see why they are doing this. It is for money. They want people buying Atlantis stuff from them and not someone sell a cheap $5 T-shirt across the street.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-10-2016 09:50 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
And that money in turn pays for the exhibit.

Even though NASA owns the Visitor Complex, no public funds are used for its operation or expansion.

mode1charlie
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Posts: 1169
From: Honolulu, HI
Registered: Sep 2010

posted 01-17-2016 02:57 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mode1charlie   Click Here to Email mode1charlie     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Delaware North is also involved in a similar dispute over the names of iconic properties at Yosemite National Park.

The names of iconic hotels and other landmarks in Yosemite National Park will soon change in an ongoing battle over who owns the intellectual property, park officials said Thursday.

The luxurious Ahwahnee Hotel will become the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, and Curry Village will become Half Dome Village, said park spokesman Scott Gediman.

The move comes in an ongoing dispute with Delaware North, the company that recently lost a $2 billion bid — the National Park Service’s largest single contract — to run Yosemite’s hotels, restaurants and outdoor activities.

Delaware North demands to be paid $51 million for the names and other intellectual property.

Personally, I will not be buying any more merchandise at KSC as long as Delaware North is running the concession. And I'll bring my own lunches, for that matter.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-17-2016 04:13 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The concession sales (tickets, food and souvenirs) are what pay for the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Of course you are only obligated to buy admission tickets — food and souvenirs are optional — but without those sales, there are no expanded bus tours, no Shuttle Launch Experience, no Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit or Heroes & Legends (featuring the Astronaut Hall of Fame) opening later this year.

Unlike at Yosemite, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, all decisions are made hand-in-hand between NASA and Delaware North. That means that NASA approved DNC's registration of the trademarks.

All times are CT (US)

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