Tipsheet

Oh, the Irony: Long Island Couple to Trademark "Occupy Wall Street"

Here's a laugh: a couple from Long Island, NY just put in a $975 application to trademark "Occupy Wall Street," because they feel it's a business opportunity they couldn't refuse:

In a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) application, Robert and Diane Maresca are seeking to trademark the phrase “Occupy Wall St.” so that they can place it on a wide variety of goods, including bumper stickers, shirts, beach bags, footwear, umbrellas, and hobo bags.

Asked if his move to stake a legal claim to “Occupy Wall Street” might be seen as a crass attempt to cash in on a movement that has a harsh view of corporations and capitalism, Maresca answered, “No.” Noting that he has a “practical business side,” Maresca added that, “If I didn’t buy it and use it someone else will.

Those hobo bags ought to sell out, don't you think?

If I were an "Occupier," I would take great umbrage at the idea of someone trademarking the term for the purpose of capitalistic gain, at the very least so the movement would appear consistent. But time and again, they've illustrated their hypocrisy--and, by extension, the infeasibility of their utopian, socialistic vision for America. Protesting corporate greed using corporately produced products en masse, and now, apparently, MTV is having no trouble finding willing participants for "True Life: I'm Occupying Wall Street"--or worse, "The Real World: Occupy Wall Street."

"Economic injustice" was never so lucrative.