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Originally Posted by Mutt
I don't understand how the NFL can stop radio stations, bars and restaurants from merely using the words 'SUPER BOWL'? If I'm a sports bar and I've having a big promotion built around watching the Super Bowl or I'm a radio station with a contest giving away tickets why can't I use the fucking name - that's the name of the game, I'm not stealing from the NFL, I'm describing something, merely using the fucking name the NFL wants people to know its' championship game by. I realize I can't organize a football game or any event and call it the 'Super Bowl' or I can't make t-shirts or other merchandise and slap 'Super Bowl' on it but it seems nuts that I can't even mention the name. Listen to the radio, it's filled with ads about 'The Big Game', 'The Ultimate Game' - this reminds me of the Playboy vs Terri Welles case, which she won ultimately. If I'm in business and I want to give away a Suburban SUV as a prize I can name the vehicle and show a picture of the vehicle in promotional materials. I really think if some business went to court against the NFL they'd win.
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If you were giving away a car like you mentioned, I doubt the car company would have a problem with you giving them free publicity. Unless of course they did not approve of the promotion, Like whoever runs over the most kitties wins a Ford Navigator.
Now the NFL pretty much has every single right to police its trademarks, and often if a company does not constantly enforce them and allows them to become "public" they can loose it. It damn near happened to Xerox when everyone was reffering to any photocopy as a Xerox. Xerox had to really start getting on everyones ass about using the term.