Posted on 08/16/2010 9:31:24 AM PDT by 6SJ7
So there's this group of small-town ministers in Wisconsin who own a Volkswagen Beetle with the words "God Squad" written on the door, and now Best Buy wants to take them down with a cease-and-desist letter.
Father Luke Strand came up with the idea to create a God Squad car more than two years ago, as a way of promoting the message of Christ and to garner some passing glances from motorists on the street.
It was never intended to be used for commercial purposes and doesn't even really advertise anything. Strand doesn't offer any sort of "God Squad" services, other than the typical kind of advice and support you'd expect from any minister.
But the fact that the God Squad logo looks so similar to Geek Squad, and the use of a Volkswagen Beetle just adding insult to injury, has led Best Buy to threaten legal action against the preacher of God.
Fellow priest Dan Janasik said in an interview with local news outlet the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "It's obviously not a Best Buy vehicle. When people see the car in public they usually laugh, and then it leads into lots of great conversations with strangers about faith and God."
But we all know Best Buy, and it is more concerned with flexing its muscles than appreciating a harmless use of its likeness for a holy purpose. Best Buy PR senior manager Paula Baldwin tried to sound as diplomatic as possible, saying, "This was a really difficult thing for us to do because we appreciate what Father Strand is trying to accomplish with his mission. But at the end of the day, it's bad precedent to let some groups violate our trademark while pursuing others."
Well, sure, Best Buy will probably convince Strand to modify the logo on his car, but really, in the end, what does it accomplish? Best Buy stands to gain absolutely nothing from this, but hey, when you pay corporate lawyers six-figure salaries to sit around in an office all day you gotta at least do something.
From the stories I’ve heard, I’d prefer the God Squad to work on my computer.
At least they’d have a prayer of fixing it.
BEST BUY has a chip on their shoulder. They put a manager name MOHAMMED in a store in Tulsa, Okla...where 70% of the residents are Faith and Word Christians. Get over it Best Buy...move over..it’s not GEEK SQUAD, it’s God’s Squad.
Best Buy- Enemy of Christ.
Computer! Thou shalt be healed!
Why is this a problem for you?
The Mod Squad is going to sue them both.
WTF is their problem?!?!
Tell ‘em it’s a take off of “Mod Squad” and has nothing to do w you “geeks”!
Not surprising since Best Buy wished everyone a happy “Eid Al-Adha” on last year’s Black Friday.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2009/11/24/best-buy-ad-touting-muslim-holiday-sparks-debate/
Well, if they allow the look of the logo to fall into public use, all dsorts of things might happen:
A new Greek restaurant might start a delivery service: GREEK SQUAD
A plumber who specialises in small home jobs might drive a Beetle with the logo: LEAK SQUAD
The Avon lady might decide that her newest line of rouge and makeup could go under the moniker: CHEEK SQUAD
The local homosexual activist group might use the log on the way to their next protest with the logo: FREAK SQUAD
It goes on and on...
I recall the phrase God Squad from college 40 years ago. Wake up, Best Buy, you didn’t invent the wheel. There must be another place to buy “stuff”. Best Buy needs to grow up and get the children out of corporate offices.
I will never go near your store anymore, and I will tell everyone I know to stay away.
Yours truly , Ex-Customer
To paraphrase the immortal Linc Hayes, that Peggy Lipton was SOLID!
In fact, still is, as is her lovely daughter Rashida Jones.
That is very dumb of Best Buy.
I like those business ideas! Esp. “Leak Squad”.
There were military squads and athletic squads long before the Mod squad. And Best Buy did not have the first commercial squad.
How many centuries back does the term go?
My amateur guess is that from a legal standpoint, Best Buy is on firm ground protecting is copyrighted logo.
They are, however, showing extremely short-sighted and poor judgment in failing to capitalize on this.
If they were to go out and meet the pastors with a big smile and publicly thank them for the flattery of imitating the logo, while making a public presentation of “formal permission” for its use they could generate mega dollars worth of free publicity and waves of good will.
Instead they appear only like a mean spirited cross between Scrooge and the Grinch.
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