If it quacks like a duck, then… the duck has some attitude
Back on 3 june, the curious g posted If it looks like a duck,…, detailing a case of sound mark infringement. I’ve been doing my due diligence on this matter and while I haven’t found a resolution on this case, I have found a boatload (!) of cases involving these hydra-terra tour companies.
The recap: San Francisco’s Ride the Ducks sued rival Bay Quackers for sound infringement: copying and using the same the promotional “quack” sound.
I discovered lawsuits from many tour companies in San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia filed over territory, naming and sound rights. Ride the Ducks takes a hard-line attitude in protecting its “Wacky Quackers.” The company seems to rival J.D. Salinger when it comes to litigious behavior. When a resolution on the current Ride the Ducks smackdown comes through, I’ll be sure to quack it up.
Photo ©2008 Janet Giampietro
And for those of you who commented offline about how loud and disruptive these tour companies are, this Web site is for you: shuttheduckup.
