Subway to Everyone Else: only we can sell FOOTLONGS (tm)

[guyver01]

http://consumerist.com/2010/05/subw...orld-to-stop-selling-footlong-sandwiches.html

Subway's Lawyers Tell Rest Of World To Stop Selling "Footlong" Sandwiches

Subway has been sending legal letters to sandwich places informing them that Subway "has applied for the trademark FOOTLONG (TM) in association with sandwiches," and instructing them to stop calling their sandwiches "footlongs" or else.



The letter reads:

You are hereby put on notice to cease and desist from using FOOTLONG (TM) association with sandwiches. You must immediately remove all references to FOOTLONG (TM) in association with sandwiches.​

 

[ussfletcher]

That is terrible..

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Bite my sandwich!

 

[mb]

fuck subway and their shitty subs with terrible portions (almost no meat)

 

[Cheesetogo]

So they don't even have the trademark yet? What a load of crap. Fuck subway.

 

[Crono]

They can maybe claim "five dolla foot looooooooooooong", but "footlong"?

What are they trying to do, protect a future porn name trademark?

 

[DaWhim]

a perfect example where the legal department has 0 contact with the PR department

 

[Slapstick]

It's going nowhere, foot long has been associated with sandwiches long before subway. Anyone want a Coney Island foot long?

 

[Perknose]

I just don't see how they can trademark a phrase that has long been in the common domain AND specifically commercially used by any number of eateries since long before they were even founded.

It's enough to make me push for a wholesale conversion to the metric system in the crappy commercial sandwich category.

Or . . . maybe I can trademark "trademark", "Subway" and "sandwich" just to fuck with them!

 

[shortylickens]

fuck subway and their shitty subs with terrible portions (almost no meat)

Yeah, ummmmm, you have to ASK for the meat.
When the dude walks up to the cutting board you tell him what you want on it.
Maybe next time you should try that, instead of standing there staring blankly at him.

 

[Cogman]

I just don't see how they can trademark a phrase that has long been in the common domain AND specifically commercially used by any number of eateries since long before they were even founded.

It's enough to make me push for a wholesale conversion to the metric system in the crappy commercial sandwich category.

Or . . . maybe I can trademark "trademark", "Subway" and "sandwich" just to fuck with them!

Exactly what I was thinking. You can't trademark a word/phrase that is in common use, an certainly not after the fact. If they wanted to trademark footlong, they should have done that BEFORE the advertising campaign, not after it.

Whoever runs their legal department needs to be fired for this. IANAL and even I know the trademark rules.

 

[Jumpem]

Yeah, ummmmm, you have to ASK for the meat.
When the dude walks up to the cutting board you tell him what you want on it.
Maybe next time you should try that, instead of standing there staring blankly at him.

And even after you ask for it, they barely put any on. Local sub places are worlds better.

 

[darkxshade]

come get mah 5 dolla 12 incher

 

[xSauronx]

And even after you ask for it, they barely put any on. Local sub places are worlds better.

srs. subway is meh.

also: fuck subway. i hate when businesses pull this kind of shit.

 

[meltdown75]

ffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

 

[Anubis]

And even after you ask for it, they barely put any on. Local sub places are worlds better.

this depends on what is local to you

 

[meltdown75]

i have to admit, i like the BLT sub

toasted :awe:

 

[Jumpem]

this depends on what is local to you

Gas station delis are better are than subway. Seriously.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I guess they could call it the 12 inch sandwich. Kind of has a ring to it actually and it would be a nice jab at fuckway.

 

[fatpat268]

I guess they could call it the 12 inch sandwich. Kind of has a ring to it actually and it would be a nice jab at fuckway.

Or the 30 cm long sandwich.

 

[SandEagle]

every other place should start selling 13' sandwiches to fvck with them

 

[JulesMaximus]

Or the 30 cm long sandwich.

Or the 0.000189393939 mile long sandwich!

 

[eplebnista]

Or the 0.000189393939 mile long sandwich!

lol

 

[lxskllr]

every other place should start selling 13' sandwiches to fvck with them

That's a big ass sandwich :^D

 

[waggy]

lol subway is going to lose if anyone fights it. they can't tell anyone else they can't make a footlong and say we have a footlong.