Texas AM files suit against hand-capped Buffalo resident

[The King]

Talk about picking on the little guy.
SEC powerhouse Texas A&M University lodged two complaints this week against four Buffalo Bills fans for using a website with a common football phrase that infringed on its trademark. The school also held out the possibility of legal action.
One of targets is Charles “Chuckie” Sonntag, a double amputee and cancer survivor. He co-founded 12thManThunder.com website to keep the Bills in Buffalo. Texas A&M owns the rights to the term “the 12th man.” Sonntag, who overcame cancer last year, has suffered since childhood from polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, also known as Albright’s disease, He lost his left arm 20 years ago, and his left leg was amputated in March.

http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/texas-am-threatens-lawsuit-against-bills-fans-website-20140701

[Skooby]

The Aggies just lost a fan here, who in their right mind does this to a disabled person ?

[Albany,n.y.]

The Aggies just lost a fan here, who in their right mind does this to a disabled person ?

Someone who is making sure they want to protect their property. If you had a disabled person living next door and he started stealing things from your house, you wouldn't wave to him as he was leaving and say "have a nice day". You would call the police or handle it on your own, but you would get your property back. Like it or not, 12th Man is their property and anyone using it without a fee paid is stealing it.

Now the logical thing would be to make an agreement with the guy where he pays them a nominal fee like $100/year so they could assert their rights to their property (he could even get site donors to pay the fee so it doesn't come out of his pockets) and everyone comes out looking good, but once lawyers get involved in trademark violations all logic flies out the window.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

If you don't defend a trademark, you lose it.

[tatersalad]

A&M defends that 12th man vigourously they got big money from seahawks that is their trademark no diff than say starbucks and coke

[whkfc]

I would imagine there was some sort of cease and desist notice first. I doubt they would go straight to filing suit.

[Historian]

So what happens to the Bills Wall of Fame?

Douchebags.

[Fletch]

So what happens to the Bills Wall of Fame?

Douchebags.

Agree, and that phrase is used all over the place and in this case not even related to on-field stuff, but the effort to keep the team here which is temporary.

No one would argue the school's right to protect its trademark, but this is a little bit over the top, of all times to seek enforcement they had to pick this one. Makes the school look petty. This will likely be over in a matter of months, couldn't they have simply looked the other way for a short spell.

[Fletch]

I wonder if they're going to go after the following that a quick Google search came up with:

http://www.12thmantechnologies.com/

http://www.the-twelfth-man.com/

http://www.delvalfootballfoundation.com/12thman/

http://www.seneca12thman.org/

http://www.12thmanfcc.org/

http://12thman-goblue.com/teams/?u=GOBLUEFOOTBALL&s=football&t=c

That was just off the first few pages after A&M & Seahawks filtered out. There's more after that.

[DraftBoy]

So what happens to the Bills Wall of Fame?

Douchebags.

It was renamed the Tim Russert Plaza.

Also the Bills already pay TexasA&M annually for use of the 12th man trademark.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

So what happens to the Bills Wall of Fame?

Douchebags.

Nothing. The Bills pay for the privilege.

[YardRat]

Interesting...I never knew A&M owned the trademark, or that Seattle and Buffalo paid them to use it.

[black N yellow]

screw Texas.