For what it's worth, the US Patent & Trademark Office says the name "Voodoo", as it applies to amusement parks, was registered to Six Flags in September 2009.
http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=77388856
So, CF named the ride at Dorney, but failed to get a trademark on the name....so SF jumps like a cybersquatter, and now CF is changing the name of their (pre-existing) ride. Sounds like someone at CF didn't exactly do all their paperwork...have to wonder who got chewed out for that relatively-serious blunder.
Edit: Might it be that SF was already in the TM-ing process, and CF was unaware when they named the Dorney ride? I'd think that you could simply ask the USPTO for information related to your trademark request, and if any conflicting names/TMs were already in the process?
You still have Zoidberg.... You ALL have Zoidberg! (V) (;,,;) (V)
The enthusiast community will certainly frown upon this new name...it's not a noun. When a ride name is anything other than a noun, coaster dorks seem to say, "yuk!"
I kinda like the arty-fartiness of using an adjective. :)
When did Dorney originally announce the ride? If it was prior to the TM filing by Six Flags, it would seem to me that Cedar Fair can claim the use first and block the registration. Remember, you don't need to file a trademark to enforce it, you only need to prove that it was "used in commerce."
Jeff - Editor - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
This isn't official, but the first mention of the new name was in this thread: http://coasterbuzz.com/Forums/Thread/54205.aspx?page=1
Compare that with the date they announced the ride's approval (sometime in June 2007). They wouldn't have TM'd the name then?
Jeff said:
When did Dorney originally announce the ride? If it was prior to the TM filing by Six Flags, it would seem to me that Cedar Fair can claim the use first and block the registration. Remember, you don't need to file a trademark to enforce it, you only need to prove that it was "used in commerce."
VooDoo (Top Spin) opened at Marine World long before Dorney's, though. Perhaps they've just registered it now to block CF's attempt to register.
- Jeff
To me, "The Voodoo" make no grammatical sense whatsoever - it hurts my head.
However, with the addition of 'the' at the beginning, Possessed becomes a noun and makes much more sense grammatically to me.
I find that interesting.
All of the headaches are probably the result of voodoo. (the religion, not the ride :) )
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