The following is a blast from the past from one of the group's former icons!

Enjoy,
Paladin



Dear Group,

I found the following article tucked away in the business
section of the Wall Street Journal yesterday and, since it
concerns sailing, I thought I would pass it along.


======================


Washington, D.C. --- In District Court today Federal Judge,
the Honorable William H. Henderson, ruled on a dispute over
trademark infringement. After a bitterly contested court
battle, Henderson ruled in favor of the JBoat Corporation
over rival MacGregor Yachts.


Attorneys for JBoat argued successfully that Macgregor had
copied their SCRIMP® trademark in an effort to undermine
their reputation for safe, solid, seaworthy vessels. SCRIMP
stands for Scaleable Cloth Resin Injection Molding Process.
This patented manufacturing process makes JBoat hulls twice
as strong as boats using hand lay-up construction like the
MacGregor.


"We have toiled long and hard to build a sterling
reputation," said JBoat attorney, Wilson Wolters, "and we
simply could not allow that reputation to be sullied. This
victory is a victory for everyone who sails."


MacGregor Yachts had recently embarked on an advertising
campaign touting the superiority of their Mac26X model by
saying it was built using the SCIMP ® process although they
never revealed what SCIMP stood for in their advertising
materials. MacGregor attorneys argued unsuccessfully that
SCIMP was enough different from SCRIMP that there were no
trademark violations.


Over the repeated objections of MacGregor attorneys, Judge
Henderson, threatening contempt of court charges, insisted
that MacGregor reveal what the letters in the acronym,
SCIMP, stand for. When it was finally revealed as, 'Skimpy
Construction Insures Maximum Profit,' Henderson called an
immediate recess and returned in short order to rule in
favor of JBoats. MacGregor was ordered to pay five million
dollars in damages.


MacGregor promises to appeal.


======================


Your sailing correspondent who is, as always . . .


Respectfully,
Capt. Neal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"A man should not mince words
just to spare the sensibilities
of the thin-skinned or the ignorant." ---Capt. Neal



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