Wednesday, July 19, 2017

People Behind the Coexist Logo Can't Get Along, Sue Each Other

Legal battles are raging among the creator of the original Coexist logo, Polish artist Piotr Mlodozeniec (above); the folks who trademarked that logo and began selling it on t-shirts etc. without Mlodozeniec's permission; and the folks who created the famous bumper sticker (below). Mlodozeniec says he isn't bothered by competition from the bumper sticker version but he is aesthetically annoyed because he considers it terribly ugly. I like it. But knowing that the people behind it can't coexist is troubling.

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1 comment:

G. Verloren said...

I'm not sure I agree with the general assessment here.

First off, suing someone doesn't mean you refuse to coexist with them. In fact, it's arguably evidence that people are actually agreeing to coexist with others. People will always disagree with one another eventually about something, but here we're seeing the different parties operating within the bounds of the legal system to settle their dispute in an orderly, peaceable, and rational way.

Secondly, is it really fair to describe the various US based parties that tried to steal this intellectual property for T-shirt sales as "the people behind" the logo? They had nothing really to do with it, they just tried to profit off of it in the classic tradition of American Capitalism, and the law is sorting out to what extent they are in the wrong for their actions. The system is working more or less as intended here, even if it operates with a certain ponderousness.

As for the bumper sticker, that's a distinct work and a separate matter entirely.

July 19, 2017 at 4:33 PM

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