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From the email bag (and I am not making this up):
Barry,
Your blog has come to our attention, and we have concerns about your use of our trademarks in your heading. American Dairy Queen Corporation (ADQ) is the owner of the federally registered marks Dairy Queen and the ellipse shaped logo. These trademarks are very important and valuable assets within the Dairy Queen system. You are using our marks in a way that may lead some to believe there is an association or endorsement or similar arrangement with our company. We are flattered that you had Dairy Queen in mind when creating your site, but we do have a responsibility to limit and control the use of these trademarks. As an author, we hope you will understand our situation and respect the intellectual property owned by another.
We request that you remove these two marks from your blog. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Thank you.
Sincerely,
AMERICAN DAIRY QUEEN CORPORATION
O. Michael Rinke
President and Assistant General Counsel
952/***-****
952/***-**** (Fax)
I'm probably responsible for more free advertising and the sale of more Hungr' Busters (which is probably a registered trademark) than any guy in the history of Dairy Queen. And this is the thanks I get? Would O. Michael Rinke rather me go on an anti-Dairy Queen rant every single day (which, the last time I checked, would be protected speech under one of those amendment thingies to the U.S. Constitution?) It's a dark day in the America, folks. I've called an emergency meeting with myself at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning to discuss this matter with myself.
But I can see a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case coming: American Dairy Queen Corporation v. Liberally Lean From The Land Of Dairy Queen. I'm even working on my oral argument: "Over? Did you say 'over'? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! But I'm not gonna stand here and let O. Michael Rinke bad mouth the United States of America!"
(But that may be the nicest "lawyer letter" I've ever received.)
