Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World is apparently suing Robert "Buzz" Moore because Moore opened a store called Buzz’s Outdoor World, claiming infringement on the Bass Pro trademark. I don’t blame Bass Pro for protecting their brand, but what amuses me is their claim that the much smaller store is "likely to cause confusion with Bass Pro customers."
It reminds me of when the Marx Brothers were about to release A Night In Casablanca. Warner Brothers, who had released Casablanca some years earlier, objected. Groucho wrote a classic letter in response:
"You claim you own Casablanca and that no one else can use that name without your permission. What about Warner Brothers? Do you own that, too? You probably have the right to use the name Warner, but what about Brothers? Professionally, we were brothers long before you were. [E]ven before us there had been other brothers - the Smith Brothers; the Brothers Karamazov; Dan Brothers, an outfielder with Detroit….
"I have a hunch that this attempt to prevent us from using the title is the brainchild of some ferret-faced shyster, serving a brief apprenticeship in your legal department.
"I am sure that the average movie fan could learn in time to distinguish between Ingrid Bergman and Harpo. I don't know whether I could, but I certainly would like to try."
