|
Sporting Bears go “Legit!” |
|
What's
in a N+name. Someone,
whose name escapes me for the moment, once said this in some play or other. The
answer is of course quite a lot. A name is the common label, which becomes
synonymous with a perception of whatever is the subject of our attention. We,
as a club, are known and judged by the experience others have when in contact
with members and “Bears” events. As the club has grown in size the number of
members organising activities has increased. The committee have always welcomed
such input and endeavoured to encourage and provide the necessary advice and
support, especially to “event virgins”. As the clubs events co-ordinator
Dave Peat is there to provide the contact point to enable all “Bears” to
both contribute and use the credibility of the clubs name. As well as giving
advice he is also there to bring to the committee your ideas and obtain their
approval and support, for it, on your behalf. Once this has been done your
activity then becomes an official club event giving full protection of the clubs
insurance and requiring the committee to share responsibility for your actions.
Whilst the above sounds rather formal a telephone call to Dave would soon dispel
any concerns anyone thinking of organising an event might have. This
process is designed to encourage and help you to contribute to the growth of the
positive image that we all as “Sporting Bears” enjoy, thanks to the
considerable efforts of all event organisers to date. It also encourages the
growing credibility that the “Bears” name is synonymous with good quality
events. The committee has prime responsibility for this process, thus
guaranteeing protection of the Bears good name. Whist
the former gives some control of the quality of events organised by Bears there
is always the fear that the clubs hard won credibility could be high jacked by
some one acting outside the club. This was highlighted when the club was
approached by a manufacturer wishing to producing clothing with the “Bears”
logo on it, in return for a payment to club funds. The committee was made aware
that it was conceivable that anyone wishing to use the clubs logo or name could
probably do so with members having little in the way of protection. For
this reason the trademark process was established to guarantee protection, of
both name and reputation, to someone who had worked hard to establish a link
between their name and a good service. Once registered only the holder may use
or authorise the use of the “Mark” and therefore they are in full control of
activities, which might reflect on their reputation. Anyone attempting
unauthorised use of all or part of a registered mark exposes themselves to legal
proceedings. After
discussion at the AGM, your committee started the lengthy and complex process of
registering the clubs name, logo, and the motto “Driving for Charity” as a
trademark. That process has now been completed and all three of the above
components now belong to the club exclusively for the next 10 years, with the
option to extend indefinitely once this period has expired. We now have control
of the well-known unique “Bears” visual image, which can not be used,
without formal approval, by anyone outside the club. It is also vital that we
protect our mark from abuse by those outside the club. To this end please make
the committee aware of any examples of unauthorised use of what is now your
exclusive property. It
is equally important that everyone in the club now adopts and uses these
corporate symbols of identity which carry a credibility and the guarantee of
proven quality that brings together all our efforts. Please use the clubs
Trademark in all official club documents to avoid confusion. Copies of headed
paper and logo etc. are available for those who require it you only have to ask.
The images are also available in computer format. USE
THEM WITH PRIDE THEY ARE THERE FOR YOUR EXCLUSIVE USE. |