Fun_People Archive
27 Mar
Another Country Heard From

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 12:53:46 PST
From: Peter Langston <psl>
To: Fun_People
Subject: Another Country Heard From

Forwarded-by: <gnu@toad.com>
Subject: The Toucan controversy gets loopier

Date:  Mon, 27 Mar 95 10:09:11 
From: "Jeffrey H. Kaufman" <oblonin!JHKAU@uunet.uu.net>
Subject: Toucan Steel Drum Band

Thank you for your recent message.  Printed below is Kellogg
Company's response.

Dear Kellogg Company Consumers:

In response to allegations published on the Internet concerning a
trademark dispute, Kellogg Company wishes to share the following
information with those of you who may be concerned.

Kellogg Company has not filed a lawsuit and has never objected to
the group's name, TOUCANS STEEL DRUM BAND.  Rather, Kellogg Company
is involved in an administrative matter before the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office regarding the band's attempt to register the name
TOUCANS and obtain exclusive rights to its future use.

Please understand - contrary to information that the band is
putting before the public - if the band's trademark request were
granted, it could stop Kellogg Company from using its own TOUCAN
SAM and TOUCAN Bird trademarks on all future recordings, even
though Kellogg has made recordings since it first registered the
trademarks in 1964.  If the band is granted this request, it could
dilute the protection given Kellogg's TOUCAN SAM and TOUCAN Bird
design trademarks in all future cases, including lawsuits.

We assure you that this is not a case of big business versus a
small helpless band, as the band is leading the public to believe.
This is a question of Kellogg Company's right to a trademark it has
owned for more than 30 years.

We assure you that these are the facts surrounding this issue and
after more than 80 years of valuing our image in the public please
know that we understand fully that:  "A reputation is a very
fragile thing."

                              Kellogg Company

© 1995 Peter Langston