Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Sanders campaign expropriates YAL brand name

Libertarian group accuses Bernie Sanders campaign of stealing door-knocking brand - Anthony Leonardi, Washington Examiner:

February 14, 2020 - "A libertarian organization is threatening to sue Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, claiming his campaign stole its intellectual property. Young Americans for Liberty, a nonprofit student activist organization, sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Sanders campaign, accusing it of stealing the organization's brand 'Operation Win at the Door' by calling its door-knocking operation the same thing.

"'YAL launched Operation Win at the Door in 2018. Operation Win at the Door has knocked on over 1.5 million doors and secured 56 election victories,' writes Dan Backer, counsel for the libertarian group. 'YAL has expended substantial resources in developing the name and goodwill associated with Operation Win at the Door. Your bastardization of our clients’ intellectual property and flagrant attempt to redistribute their hard-won goodwill — a product of tremendous labor on the part of our client — is unauthorized and un-American.'

'The Washington Times obtained text messages from someone claiming to represent the Sanders campaign that encouraged people to join 'the largest grassroots campaign in the country — Operation Win at the Door.'

"YAL claims that the Sanders campaign is able to mislead the public into believing it has endorsed the socialist's campaign, something it says is antithetical to the organization's belief system.... 'This bald-faced deceit violates laws that prohibit such deceptive solicitations and protect donations for their intended use as well as infringes on the intellectual property rights of YAL,' the letter said.

"The group plans to pursue legal action unless the Sanders campaign discontinues its use of the brand.

"The Washington Examiner reached out to the Sanders campaign but did not receive a response for publication."

Read more: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/libertarian-group-accuses-bernie-sanders-campaign-of-stealing-door-knocking-brand
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