In 2004, the United States Postal Service sent the band a cease and desist letter citing their trademark on the phrase "postal service". After negotiations, the USPS relented, allowing the band use of the trademark in exchange for promotional efforts on behalf of the USPS and a performance at their annual National Executive Conference. Additionally, the USPS website sells the band's CDs.
December 28, 2006
The Postal Service versus The Postal Service.
I love amicable legal settlements. This one is perfectly charming:
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13 comments:
Prompting Ann to start her own band, The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Aww...how sweet.
Why do they care? The last time US Postal delivered consistently, Lance Armstrong was in charge and Tyler Hamilton was still on the team.
What? This post wasn't about bicycles? Oops. Sorry.
TW: zrlutky - isn't that the Albanian currency that Borat makes fun of in the film?
Way cool. Time to start a band called The US Armed Forces.
I don't post often (and given the usual tone and quality of my posts I'm sure everyone is relieved that is the case), but I had the strangest thing happen on Christmas Day this year.
A USPS employee knocked on the door on CHRISTMAS MORNING to deliver a package. Apparently he took it upon himself to do this to make sure as many people as possible got their Christmas packages by Christmas. Is that crazy or what?
The band The Postal Service named itself in tribute to the US Postal Service, because the two members of the band live on different coasts and made their first album by recording tapes in their own studios and mailing them to each other. So that's where the name comes from.
As far as I'm concerned, the United States Postal Service is a branch of the federal government and its name belongs to all citizens of the United States equally. I have a hard time believing that the USPS had an actual damages as a result of the Postal Service's choice of name.
Al:
I agree with Christy. The USPS is one guvmint body that is efficient and works.I have much confidence in their services.
Shady character:
The quality (or lack of) in our own posts never seems to stop the regular contibutors. So, jump in anytime.
Ann:
This settlement , if it's a trend, bodes poorly for the earnings potential of you lawyers.:)
I plan on renaming my stately manor "Fort Knox."
How much is there? /Carl Sagan voice/ Bullions and bullions.
All my correspondence is e-mail, and anything of value gets delivered by FedEx or UPS, not USPS.
USPS makes a living by dumping 3rd class garbage on my doorstep. How nice that they use the proceeds to harass people who actually have something to contribute to society.
I was going to say . . . but stephenb already said it.
I have a hard time believing that the USPS had an actual damages as a result of the Postal Service's choice of name.
Yes. I walked into the Post Office expecting soporific poser tunes, but was treated to a lady barking at me that my envelope was nonstandard. My confusion must have clogged up the line for a good half an hour, and at least five of those who left the queue went to the Fed Ex across the street.
Al,
The Postal service has always impressed me in the extreme with their efficiency and courtesy, and especially with their willingness to go beyond the call of duty.
I teach at a community college, as I did (at a different one) when my father died on a Sunday a few years back. I had written a test that I was planning to take to work on Monday. I knew my supervisor would get substitutes lined up for the week but I still would have had to take time out from planning the funeral and doing all of that to go in to work on Monday to drop the tests off. An acquaintance of mine who worked for the Postal Service came to me later that Sunday when she found out about it and asked the specific question of whether I needed anything put into the mail to be delivered Monday morning. She then took the tests, processed them personally and made sure they were in the queue to be delivered on Monday morning. They were.
Now I've known Fedex drivers and UPS drivers. I'm sure the Fedex people I've known would never offer to do anything like that in a million years. The UPS employees are a little better but I'd still lay odds that they wouldn't do that.
The USPS runs laps around either of them.
This didn't work out so well:
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in exchange for promotional efforts on behalf of the USPS and a performance at their annual National Executive Conference. Additionally, the USPS website sells the band's CDs.
Further to this, it was reported on Pitchforkmedia on 16 January 2007 that UPS is using a track from Give Up, "Such Great Heights," for their TV and online advertising. This has been confirmed, as the commercials began airing shortly after the report came out.
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I suspect being sued by USPs made them happy to sell the song to UPS.
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