Georgia Lawmaker Claims 'Making Fun Of... >>
<< Company Tries To Delete Recording Of Exec...
 tdicon 

Trademark

by Mike Masnick

Mon, Feb 25th 2013 11:46am




Filed Under:
ngo, threats, trademark

Companies:
ferrari, solidar


Non-profit Responds To Threatened Lawsuit From Ferrari By 'Remaking' Video To Hide The Ferrari

from the but-solidar-hits-back dept

Qûr Tharkasdóttir writes in to let us know that luxury automobile maker Ferrari is allegedly threatening to sue Swiss NGO Solidar (actually a network of NGOs focused on social justice) for daring to use a Ferrari in their recent commercial that appears to be making fun of rich bankers. The original is here (for now, at least):
In response, Solidar has released an updated version of the commercial in which, they've made a small change. See if you can spot it:
Just in case you can't see the videos, here are two screenshots. First from the original video:
And here's the "new" version. You might spot the change.
You'd think that a brand like Ferrari would know better than to threaten a group focused on increasing social justice around the globe. There's no way that argument ends well for Ferrari -- even if they "win."

21 Comments | Leave a Comment

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments (rss)

(Flattened / Threaded)

  1.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Feb 25th, 2013 @ 12:11pm

    They should add...

    "Computer graphics courtesy of" followed by the Ferrari logo. Since it's not for commerce, with no chance of confusion, trademark wouldn't apply. And I know they don't have fair use doctrine over there but it would pretty clearly be commentary too.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    identicon
    S. T. Stone, Feb 25th, 2013 @ 12:14pm

    Ha ha, excellent move on the NGO’s part.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
    icon
    Yakko Warner (profile), Feb 25th, 2013 @ 12:16pm

    Where's the funny button for articles?

    That's some funny stuff right there.

    Although they could've highlighted the offending party by making the caption read "Car obscured due to legal claim by Ferrari S.p.A."

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    icon
    McCrea (profile), Feb 25th, 2013 @ 12:24pm

    Switch it to a Lamborghini. I'm sure one of the companies accept the stigma of their products.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Feb 25th, 2013 @ 12:29pm

    The idea of combining trademark, copyright and patent under the umbrella term of intellectual property induces stupidity in those who think that they own it. They think its ours, and therefore we decide where it can be used.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Feb 25th, 2013 @ 12:33pm

    IP Culture

    What would movies and TV shows look like if showing cars on screen required permission from each car's maker? Sure, it's ridiculous, but we've pushed intellectual property law to ridiculous extremes elsewhere, so why not here?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Feb 25th, 2013 @ 12:39pm

    Perhaps I missed something, but I did not find a link to the alleged threat.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  8.  
    icon
    PaulT (profile), Feb 25th, 2013 @ 12:43pm

    Re: IP Culture

    A lot of productions already make a chunk of their budget from product placement, including cars (the Bond franchise, for example). I wouldn't be surprised if they started trying the opposite - one of our cars is seen in a film we didn't pay for and we think gives the car a negative image? Bring on the lawyers!

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  9.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Feb 25th, 2013 @ 12:50pm

    Looks like Swiss NGO Solidar hired the Olympics committee to come in and cover up the name brand in question no?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  10.  
    icon
    David Muir (profile), Feb 25th, 2013 @ 12:52pm

    Re:

    Even with today's amazing technology advances, alleged threats are still unlinkable.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  11.  
    icon
    ahow628 (profile), Feb 25th, 2013 @ 12:54pm

    HDR

    Wow, that HDR filter really makes all the difference in the world.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  12.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Feb 25th, 2013 @ 12:59pm

    Re: They should add...

    Yeah I was expecting it to be a big black block that said "not a ferrari"

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  13.  
    identicon
    Qûr Tharkasdóttir, Feb 25th, 2013 @ 1:16pm

    Re: link to threat

    I guess we have to take Solidar's word that they got a phoen call froma a lawyer or something

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  14.  
    icon
    Qûr Tharkasdóttir (profile), Feb 25th, 2013 @ 1:21pm

    Lamborghini

    You bet. If I remember well, it was Lamborghini's boss that forced one of their workers to get rid of that Lamborghini he'd bought used.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  15.  
    identicon
    Mr. Applegate, Feb 25th, 2013 @ 1:43pm

    Actually, could be a brilliant move

    Ferrari having seen the Streisand effect and knowing that there is no Such Thing As Bad Publicity, just got a bunch of free press.

    The over paid bankers will love it.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  16.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Feb 25th, 2013 @ 2:06pm

    Re: Actually, could be a brilliant move

    Come to think of it, there probably IS a lot of overlap between "people who can afford luxury cars" and "people who enjoy abusing intellectual property law".

    I wonder if we're going to start seeing yacht advertisements featuring public libraries being burned down?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  17.  
    icon
    cryptozoologist (profile), Feb 25th, 2013 @ 2:40pm

    that settles it...

    i will not be buying a ferrari anytime soon

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  18.  
    icon
    Mr. Smarta** (profile), Feb 25th, 2013 @ 3:01pm

    Not a Ferrari logo, me thinks.

    Looking at the video, the logo on the front of the car doesn't look exactly like a Ferrari logo. I zoomed in really close, and I could swear it reads either "RIAA" or "MPAA". Not sure. Can anyone else verify?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  19.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Feb 26th, 2013 @ 3:50am

    Re: Re: IP Culture

    unfortunately, that does happen- it's why if a brand name s mentioned in a TV show, it's probably product placement.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  20.  
    icon
    Tex Arcana (profile), Feb 26th, 2013 @ 11:37am

    Re: Not a Ferrari logo, me thinks.

    No no no no no, you have it all wrong!! It's the legal team's logo, and it reads thusly:

    Avv. Santa Ricci
    Avv. Gabriele Consiglio
    Avv. Paolo Lazzarino
    Avv. Gianluca Massimei

    FERRARI S.p.A.
    clo NCTM Studio Legale Associato
    Via Bissolati, n. 76
    00187 Rome (Italy)

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  21.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Mar 19th, 2013 @ 3:47am

    Re: IP Culture

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


Add Your Comment

Have a Techdirt Account? Sign in now. Want one? Register here
Get Techdirt’s Daily Email
Save me a cookie
  • Note: A CRLF will be replaced by a break tag (<br>), all other allowable HTML will remain intact
  • Allowed HTML Tags: <b> <i> <a> <em> <br> <strong> <blockquote> <hr> <tt>
Georgia Lawmaker Claims 'Making Fun Of... >>
<< Company Tries To Delete Recording Of Exec...
 tdicon 
Follow Techdirt
Flattr rss rss
A word from our Sponsors...
Sponsored Resource
Essential Reading
Techdirt Reading List
Techdirt Insider Chat

A word from our Sponsors...
Recent Stories

Saturday

12:00pm: GMacGuffin's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week (0)
9:00am: Awesome Stuff: Dealer's Choice (4)

Friday

7:39pm: In Defense Of Digital Freedom: It's Time To Get Beyond 'Cyber' Hyperbole (24)
6:40pm: Xbox One Release: Tons Of Questions, Very Few Answers (89)
5:37pm: Think DOJ Spying On Reporters Was 'Unprecedented'? Think Again (6)
5:00pm: DailyDirt: DIY Soda (Pop Or Whatever You Call Carbonated Beverages) (9)
3:51pm: Petition Asks Obama To Support Treaty For The Blind, Rather Than Siding With Hollywood (16)
2:46pm: Fair Use For Me, But Not For Thee (27)
1:45pm: Another Court Tells Prenda To Pay Up On Attorneys Fees (21)
12:45pm: If You Thought Copyright Was A Mess On Earth, What Does It Look Like In Space? (24)
More arrow
A word from our Sponsors...

Close

Email This