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Attention all LARS: Please Read


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#31 Chalky

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 10:16 PM

Fucking Hell. In my googling I found someone else trying to steal brand LARS

Yet another thief

#32 DirtyDefender

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 10:19 PM

good jobs LARS! in the absence of anything exciting on the field you've managed to keep this season interesting with a ludlum-esque plot twist... okay not really ludlum, but i just saw the bourne ultimatum. joking aside, i hope this is resolved amicably.

Yes!

"The Drama of 2007" continues!

I don't get comparing it to the Bourne series though. It's more like a really bad novella, that you just can't stop reading - except there are no sex scenes.

Oh well. I was getting rather bored of watching the Beckham Cam.

Seriously though - That's a really odd move to file an FBN. I can't imagine how anyone could plan to make any money in this "Business Venture".

#33 TommyMack

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 10:21 PM

Fucking Hell. In my googling I found someone else trying to steal brand LARS

Yet another thief



'Bout damn time!!!!

Tommy "Squidbilly" Mack

#34 DirtyDefender

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 10:26 PM

Fucking Hell. In my googling I found someone else trying to steal brand LARS

Yet another thief

That is Brilliant!

Who did that?

Gunner - was that you?

Can I order one?

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#35 Shooter

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 10:33 PM

Disappointing, to say the least. Unfortunately, it upsets me that I give everyone the benefit of the doubt with regards to being a friend...until they do something for me to write them off. It's a sad day. Funny, how people who wanted to make things more "corporate" decide this is the way to make it happen. Fucking shameful !!!

It all makes sense now. I have a feeling there are more rats heading to the crow's nest...

My question is, don't these people think that people (myself included), ever thought of making our group a money making proposition, over the years ? Speaking for myself, I do what I do to encourage people to join the group and see how fun it can be. I never thought that I should bilk them !

I've taken massive losses. No, I won't show you my "books".

Unfortunately, most of the more recent members haven't given a damn thing for the sake of the group and they don't understand why these people should be referred to as Judas Iscariot !

Funny (not really) that these people and others I'm now thinking of, haven't really been around, lately ?

That, in itself, speaks volumes !

Written off as dead, in my book. Too bad. I considered them friends.

Dead. Good luck in life.

#36 Dude Love

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 10:44 PM

I advise you to make the explanation you are about to give PHENOMENALLY good.
- Edmund Blackadder

#37 Shooter

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 10:49 PM

I have a shirt to burn at the BBQ or the Chivas match. I also have an extra $20.00 to spend on Gasoline !

Just a reminder, get your EPL Fantasy Team together...deadline is looming...

#38 Qamle

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 10:52 PM

This is much more interesting than the Beckham ankle thingy. When I first saw the shirts I thought "cool, neat shirts" but I didn't know there was to be any sort of profit made or stealing of the LARS name. I want to hear their side of the story for sure.

#39 Dude Love

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 11:06 PM

I have a shirt to burn at the BBQ or the Chivas match. I also have an extra $20.00 to spend on Gasoline !

Send it back. Demand a refund.

#40 RazovMustDie

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 11:14 PM

Loathsome, despicable, underhanded, cowardly, and most decidedly "Chivas like" (that is trying to make money on the coattails of others who laid all the groundwork)!!

I see no need for restraint in this thread. Its obvious what these individuals were up to and they made no attempt to contact or tell anyone outside of their venture about their plans. Had they done this, there might have been the amicable solution some are calling for. Eddie, Jeff and Tommy have not had a problem with people creating one-off LARS wear for their own usage. This was a brutally tranparent attempt to make a profit off of someone else's hard work, investment, creativity and time.

As someone who has been around since the beginning, I can attest to the large sums of money that Eddie, Jeff and Tommy have sunk into the Squad over the years, especially in the beginning when we had few members and no real means of fundraising. If anyone should be making a profit of their intellectual property, it should be them. However, they have never approached LARS as a vehicle to line their pockets. That obviously doesn't seem to be the case with Karl Rove Jr. and Diego (and anyone else in the shadows who may have been involved). :)+

Bottom line is, this isn't about any leadership criticisms of LARS or the way our group is run/not run. This is simply about trademarking someone else's property for personal profit without prior notification. I say: Fuck 'Em! Guilty as charged!!

#41 Shooter

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 11:14 PM

Send it back. Demand a refund.


Nah, I wouldn't or couldn't send it back. I don't know who they are. It will be more of a "cleansing" thing for me.

What is that saying about lending someone $20.00... Something along the lines of if they don't pay it back, its money well spent knowing all the better. Not that I lent anyone $20.00, but I hope you know what I mean.

#42 dashiel

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 11:16 PM

to follow up on shooter's post. it seems to be a sad fact of life that as things get "bigger" there is this inevitable move towards "legitimacy" thanks to the unavoidable influx of douchebags. i've sat with you guys since the beginning, not as a member (that wasn't till '03), but i was there at the first games at titan stadium. i remember tommy running around the bottom row like a madman yelling at beasely it was past his bedtime. i love the laid back atmosphere, no dues, no newsletters, no lame-ass gimmicky name to appease our nike christening, no fucking secret decoder rings.

if, as shooter says, the thrust of these pariah has been to "corporate-ize" LARS and knowing what i know about trademarks, copyright, and been involved in one too many lawsuits around the topic etc... well they may have accomplished it. i don't know maybe i'm just tired and cranky at having to still be working at 9 on a friday night. i hope i'm wrong.

I don't get comparing it to the Bourne series though. It's more like a really bad novella, that you just can't stop reading - except there are no sex scenes.


no connection. just saw it though and my brain is deprived of any creativity at the moment and it was the first "double cross" pop-culture reference that popped in to my mind.

#43 RazovMustDie

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 11:22 PM

to follow up on shooter's post. it seems to be a sad fact of life that as things get "bigger" there is this inevitable move towards "legitimacy" thanks to the unavoidable influx of douchebags. i've sat with you guys since the beginning, not as a member (that wasn't till '03), but i was there at the first games at titan stadium. i remember tommy running around the bottom row like a madman yelling at beasely it was past his bedtime. i love the laid back atmosphere, no dues, no newsletters, no lame-ass gimmicky name to appease our nike christening, no fucking secret decoder rings.

if, as shooter says, the thrust of these pariah has been to "corporate-ize" LARS and knowing what i know about trademarks, copyright, and been involved in one too many lawsuits around the topic etc... well they may have accomplished it. .


Excellent post. This was a concern we had and something we tried to address before the season started, knowing full well that things could get a bit surreal. I shouldn't worry too much about corporatization at this point however, as the majority of us are determined to keep the spirit and operations of LARS the same. Any serious dissenters are welcome to go and form their own group....

#44 Catamount

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 11:24 PM

This brings up something I've been thinking about quite a bit. Those of us who own season tickets in Section 138, and those of us who can only stand with the group upon occasion have created a very distinct brand. With the coming of Sir Becks and the wonderful adventures of Kevin Payne, that brand has become known worldwide.

Most organically grown groups like LARS do not have the talent to create a logo and merchandise that capture the spirit and soul of the group. It has a clear message, a motto, a mission statement and a code of ethics, all critical in the building of a strong brand. Large companies spend millions of dollars attempting to accomplish this. Gunner, Tommy Mack and the members of the first XI, along with quite a few others have achieved what many companies can only dream of doing. This makes LARS especially unique and has created a problem. LARS has probably become a commercially viable brand.

I had not thought of it in the context of IP theft. I have been worried that the increasing popularity of the LARS brand would somehow change the group. LARS has officially become the leading brand in soccer supporters groups in the United States. When you have done a great job of branding and you win the market, you must always be wary of pretenders. That is exactly what has happened.

It would very LARS-like to burn likenesses of these pretenders in effigy. I'm sure such plans are well underway. But a larger question needs to be asked, "Where do we go from here?" LARS has become something truly unique, recognizable and interesting. The members of the First XI have instinctively infused some accountability and organization to preserve this in the midst of the circus that surrounds Beckham. I'm sure the pretenders have heard a lot of requests for LARS gear and wanted to take advantage of this.

Like it or not, I think LARS needs to consider registering the brand and adopting some kind of written organizational structure that stays true to the principles of LARS. That way the brand can take off with the protection of IP law, and the group can grow freely. This may be a more difficult task than the writing of the Constitution, but I think LARS has those who are able to accomplish this beautifully.

Those are my thoughts, respectfully submitted.

#45 stopper

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Posted 10 August 2007 - 11:51 PM

Never Rest Easy is a song I wrote that I copyrighted about two years ago. I can go to my file cabinet and look it up.

My intention was to protect the song, and other Galaxy-related songs, just in case someone tried to record it, or use it for commercial purposes, especially since it was being sung in public and could be heard across the country when we sing it while on TV. Of course, being a musician, I have always held out some hope that I could record this and it would be of some use to the Gs, but with some expectation of compensation if it becomes something that the Galaxy can make some money off of.

If I record the songs, of course I would check with the Gs over use of their name for two reasons: as a courtesy AND just in case there was something illegal about it.

None of these songs mention the Riot Squad by name. They aren't really "Riot Squad" songs, they are Galaxy songs, written by a Galaxy fan that were adopted by the RS. If I record them and make money off of them, I don't think I'd have to ask the RS for permission. However, if someone wants to use "Never Rest Easy", the song, lyrics, or title for commercial uses, they have to get express permission from me. I don't know this Jay guy or this Diego guy and they didn't ask me for shit. When Gunner designed the scarves, we talked about having the words "Never Rest Easy" on the scarves. Without getting into specifics, here's the bottom line--WE DISCUSSED IT. This was not a for-profit venture, it was for the benefit of our group and the team we support, and he had my express consent.

I assumed that Eddie had copyrighted his stuff. If he hasn't, and this compromises his and our position in anyway, that is messed up. However, "Never Rest Easy" IS copyrighted, and I have the certificate from the US Library of Congress to prove it. If LARS can't defend itself against this infringement because it isn't an officially recognized charter, or whatever, I can defend myself because this guy used lyrics of a song written and copyrighted by Art Robles without MY EXPRESS CONSENT. This isn't a matter of principle here, folks. These guys are trying to profit off of my lyrics. Where's my cut? How many have they sold? How much do the owe me? If I can help, in anyway, to use this to defend our intellectual property, contact me immediately. I know there are plenty of lawyers here that understand this law better than I do. All I know is that I copyrighted this song just in case something like this happened. As Shooter says, please advise.

Incidentally, many years ago when I was in a band and trying to make it big, I recorded a demo with three of my originals without having officially copyrighted these songs. I asked the guy recording it if this was a problem. He told me that the songs were already copyrighted by virtue of the fact they I had recorded them, I have witnesses to prove that these are my original songs, and that I have a date of reference to prove they were recorded by me before anyone else does it. He said sending them to the US Library of Congress was merely documenting something that was already a fact. Don't know if he was 100% accurate--Tommy would know more about that--but if this is the case with music, is this also the case with Gunner's artwork? We are all witnesses to his work, and this website, among other artifacts, is phyisical proof.

I move never to speak of these two as Nines or diesolo ever again. Those are names registered on the Riot Squad boards as RS monikers and these guys are NOT RS.

Shame on both of you. What a fucking hypocrite this Diego guy is, talking about structure and how things work in the corporate world.




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