08.10.2010
New logo for Democratic National Committee looks identical to two other businesses' but legal challenges unlikely
The new Democrat logo — a simple, blue "D" enshrined in a- resembles a comic book superhero's emblem. In reality, however, the DNC's choice looks strangely familiar, at least for two well-established businesses.
DNC chairmanunveiled the new logo last month, which included the tag line, "Change That Matters." It didn't take long, however, for folks to notice more of the same.љ That is, there were certain similarities between the new DNC brand and the logo of Ohio-based pizza chain, Dewey's Pizza.
The pie joint, in fact, compares the two logos rather pointedly on the . Emblazoned on the DNC’s redesign are a couple questions: "THEY STOLE OUR LOGO?" and "Does this look suspiciously familiar?"
If Dewey's owner Andrew E. DeWitt's political inclinations weren't clear enough, the Atlantic's blog spelled out the rest. Current staff editor (and former Dewey's St. Louis employee)that DeWitt is "a Republican donor, having given money to Bush/Cheney in ‘04, Mitt Romney in ‘08, Ohio Rep. Jean Schmidt (R) this year, and multiple state Republican parties along the way."
DeWitt was not available for comment but an employee who works directly for the owner said that the first Dewey^aEURTMs opened up in 1998 and there are currently 15 stores in three states. The DNC^aEURTMs choice in logo, she said, was ^aEURoekinda funny.”
Less funny, however, is the matter of the "modern boutique" Hotel Derek in Houston, Texas, where the logoљ to the DNC’s new logo:
Hotel Derek's marketing manager Jessica Henry said the company has had a service mark on that particular design since 2004.
Trademarks fall under three categories: trademarks, which appear on goods; service marks, which serve to identify businesses; and certification marks, which indicate that products comply with particular standards.
So could the DNCљ get in trouble for takingљ logo?
After being informed of the similarities between the two logos, Henry said the company is ^aEURoecurrently investigating the matter,^aEUR
The DNC was not available for comment regarding whether or not they've applied for a trademark. A cursory search of theappears to suggest that the DNC does not have a filing for its new mark, which doesn't mean they won’t file eventually, according to trademark lawyers who spoke to The Daily Caller.
Late last month, the Republican National Committee made headlines when its registered logo - a star-spangled elephant - was appropriated by , who is making another run for his old office,љin a "Republicans for Roy" promotion. The RNC has threatened legal action because the use of its logo is "clearly designed to mislead the public into thinking that Mr. Barnes is someone he is not."
Trademark lawyers who spoke to TheDC said that there was probably no legal issue with regards to the DNC's logo. Trademarks are based on individual markets and unless the brand is extremely strong, it's unlikely there are any legal implications because people are unlikely to confuse the two different products.
It appears that there will be no major issue as long as Democrats stay out of the hotel business.
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* An original version of this article referred to ‘Chris Good’ as ‘Chris Goody’
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Florida Ponzi schemer's aide gets 10-year sentence
MIAMI (Reuters) – An ex-aide of a Florida lawyer who ran a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday, the latest development in a high-profile case that drew attention to investment fraud in the state.
Debra Villegas, former chief operating officer of a now-defunct Fort Lauderdale law firm at the center of the case, pleaded guilty to money laundering charges earlier this year.
A U.S. federal judge also ordered her to pay $363 million in restitution, her lawyer said.
Villegas, 43, worked at the Rothstein, Rosenfeldt & Adler law firm, whose managing partner, Scott Rothstein, is serving a 50-year jail term after admitting he had conned investors who believed they were buying shares in legal settlements.
"One by one, the dominos in this billion dollar Ponzi scheme are falling," said U.S. District Attorney Wilfredo Ferrer. "This is not the last to fall."
Rothstein surrendered to authorities late last year after fleeing to Morocco and was sentenced in June.
Prosecutors portrayed Villegas as a key player in the law firm and charged she conspired to assist Rothstein in a Ponzi scheme built around selling nonexistent settlements in sexual harassment and whistle-blower actions.
The legal settlements did not actually exist and Villegas admitted she had helped concoct phony court documents that investors were shown.
As in typical Ponzi schemes, it used new investors' money to pay previous investors.
Both Rothstein and Villegas were cooperating with authorities who are investigating more lawyers and employees at the law firm, Villegas' lawyer, Robert Stickney, said.
Rothstein has been compared with other Ponzi scheme kingpins, including Bernard Madoff, who pleaded guilty to a $65 billion investment fraud and is serving a 150-year prison sentence.
Both men preyed on wealthy South Florida investors, among others, who were lured by the promise of a steady income stream and better-than-average returns on their investment.
South Florida, home to one of the largest concentrations of wealth in the United States, has been hit by several Ponzi schemes in recent years.
(Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Gerald E. McCormick)
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Nevada casino winnings up 11.5 percent in August
LAS VEGAS – Casinos in Nevada won more than $944 million from gamblers in August, an increase of 11.5 percent compared with the same month one year ago, state gambling regulators said Friday.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board said the state collected $61.8 million in taxes based on those revenues. That figure is up 24.4 percent compared with the same period in 2009, when the state collected $49.6 million.
A breakdown showed winnings up 21 percent on the Las Vegas Strip to $544.4 million. The Strip improved more than all other areas in the state.
Downtown Las Vegas was down 1.4 percent to $41.4 million.
Casino revenues are important in Nevada because the taxes on them make up about one-third of the state's general fund. Tourism and gambling have been crushed during the recession and slow to recover in a state that leads the country in foreclosures, unemployment and bankruptcies.
Most jurisdictions outside Clark County did not improve compared with last year.
In northern Nevada's Washoe County, which includes Reno and Sparks, casinos reported winning $71.6 million, down 3.1 percent.
In South Lake Tahoe, a market that has seen its share reduced by American Indian casinos in northern California, winnings were up 7.2 percent to $23.5 million.
Elsewhere, casino winnings fell 1.9 percent in Elko County and rose 7.7 percent in the Carson Valley region.
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