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you can't make him drink...but how about cut & paste?

A reader provides us with the interesting discovery that the Alexander Hamilton Center has been registered as trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The details follow. We note with particular interest the date of the filing relative to the killing of the AHC, not to mention the specific taking of concept & language from the Charter of the now defunct Alexander Hamilton Center.

Word Mark
ALEXANDER HAMILTON CENTER
Goods and Services
IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Educational services promoting the study of freedom, democracy, and capitalism in the United States, namely, conducting programs in the fields of freedom, democracy and capitalism in the United States
Standard Characters Claimed
 
Mark Drawing Code
(4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Serial Number
77154011
Filing Date
April 11, 2007
Current Filing Basis
1B
Original Filing Basis
1B
Published for Opposition
August 7, 2007
Owner
(APPLICANT) Trustees of Hamilton College NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION NEW YORK 198 College Hill Road Clinton NEW YORK 13323
Disclaimer
NO CLAIM IS MADE TO THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE CENTER APART FROM THE MARK AS SHOWN
Type of Mark
SERVICE MARK
Register
PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator
LIVE

……………………………..

The lay person will find it odd that after killing the AHC in November of 2006 the College now trademarks the name and concept in April 2007. 

Was this done with the permission of the authors?  We are informed not.  By what right do they claim the scholarly work & intellectual property of the Founders? We surmise none. Was this decision made with the knowledge & consent of the Dean of Faculty? With the board committee of Academic Affairs?  Directed by the Trustees?  Was the intent to protect the intellectual property of the faculty from the faculty? Or to hijack scholarly work on programmatic concepts?  Or is the intent to establish a Center that they just declined? 

We await a lucid explantion.

Posted on August 16, 2007 at 03:08PM by Registered Commenterhb | Comments10 Comments

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Reader Comments (10)

It appears that the college has the objective of establishing the AHC irrespective of the significant IP issues involved with the founders and its previous declination... In filing for a mark there has to be a "clear intent" to follow through or the mark won't stand up if it's contested...

I would hope some explanation from the college will be forthcoming...
August 16, 2007 at 04:27PM | Unregistered CommenterRAE
Will the trademark be held in The Eugene M. Tobin Distinguished Professorship?
August 16, 2007 at 04:37PM | Unregistered CommenterI trademark therefore I am
You've got to be kidding me.

Does anyone teach ethics at Hamilton College?
August 16, 2007 at 05:12PM | Unregistered CommenterDisgusted
sta stoy
August 16, 2007 at 07:57PM | Unregistered Commenter2007
Was this trademark application for the Alexander Hamilton Center done with the consent, cooperation, and foreknowledge of the Center's originators, Paquette, Bradfield, and Ambrose?

If not, this application was made in egregiously bad faith, and warrants a legal challenge to the application. Further, it looks like another example of the College's indifference to plagarism and integrity.



August 16, 2007 at 08:29PM | Unregistered Commenterpdb
"Center" was sort of bland anyway. How about "Institute"? OK, that's bland too, but there are other words that can be used. It will be interesting to see if Ham Coll tries to block variations on the AHC theme.
August 17, 2007 at 08:44AM | Unregistered Commenterthese people
Dear these,

Are you asking would Hamilton, defined here as excluding the Founders (as they were not consulted in the filing of the trademark and not listed as owners of it), use a trademark claim (valid or not) to block scholarly endeavors demonstrably not of their invention at other institutions or to appropriate property from select faculty in an academic version of eminent domain?

Good question.
.....................
August 17, 2007 at 09:44AM | Registered Commenterhb
Relevant information:

http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/tac/doc/basic/addreq.htm
August 18, 2007 at 09:46AM | Unregistered CommenterTrademarker
My thoughts on AHC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc7oZ9yWqO4
August 19, 2007 at 09:52AM | Unregistered CommenterHoward Roark
Ayn Rand was a cult figure in my days.

[edited comment with apologies]
...............

To Class of '57 - Pls send me an email thru this site (via Email hcagr link upper right corner) and include your contact data - hb
August 19, 2007 at 02:51PM | Unregistered CommenterClass of 1957

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