08-11-2018, 06:25 AM
A company based in Chicago has trademarked the business name Aloha Poke Company. They have asked a few other businesses around the country to stop using the name. Protestors from Hawaii are gathering in Chicago this weekend for an Aloha Is Not For Sale rally, with claims the Hawaiian word Aloha cannot be trademarked. Especially by people on the mainland in Chicago.
I hope it's a large rally, attended by many of the 160,000 online protestors who said they are against the trademark (twice as many as were against the TMT). I hope "The Protectors" have found an even more popular potential source of lucrative donations from this new cause, and focus entirely on the issue. I'm 100% behind them.
Here are some highlights of the argument:
From Hawaii:
* Poke shop owners and Native Hawaiian activists have vocally opposed the letters, saying that to trademark the Hawaiian terms would amount to cultural appropriation.
* “As a Native Hawaiian living in Chicago, I am offended and embarrassed. This company clearly doesn’t understand the word Aloha," said Lanialoha Lee, a long-time Chicago resident.
* “Aloha’ is something we’ve shared with the world, and in this case, Aloha Poke Co. is trying to take the word away from us – that is unacceptable,” said Kuhio Lewis, chief executive officer of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/38854...wn-chicago
From Chicago:
* This is standard behavior in the business world. Trademarks protect companies from rivals trying to free-ride on their hard-won reputations, and they protect consumers from being misled.
* An online petition that has garnered some 160,000 signatures calls on the company to stop using either word.
* But if aloha is not for sale, someone needs to tell Hawaiians. If you check the Honolulu online telephone directory, you’ll find dozens of businesses that have decided to make commercial use of the term, including Aloha Upholstery and Aloha State Refrigeration.
* The critics want the company to drop the use of both words, which they say “belong to the whole Hawaiian culture – not to a U.S. company in Chicago.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opini...story.html
“We have knowledge that beyond the border there is a wonderful beauty, a space for beauty, for greatness […] if perhaps you can believe in it, if you have such an experience, your life is a little bit changed.” - László Krasznahorkai
I hope it's a large rally, attended by many of the 160,000 online protestors who said they are against the trademark (twice as many as were against the TMT). I hope "The Protectors" have found an even more popular potential source of lucrative donations from this new cause, and focus entirely on the issue. I'm 100% behind them.
Here are some highlights of the argument:
From Hawaii:
* Poke shop owners and Native Hawaiian activists have vocally opposed the letters, saying that to trademark the Hawaiian terms would amount to cultural appropriation.
* “As a Native Hawaiian living in Chicago, I am offended and embarrassed. This company clearly doesn’t understand the word Aloha," said Lanialoha Lee, a long-time Chicago resident.
* “Aloha’ is something we’ve shared with the world, and in this case, Aloha Poke Co. is trying to take the word away from us – that is unacceptable,” said Kuhio Lewis, chief executive officer of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/38854...wn-chicago
From Chicago:
* This is standard behavior in the business world. Trademarks protect companies from rivals trying to free-ride on their hard-won reputations, and they protect consumers from being misled.
* An online petition that has garnered some 160,000 signatures calls on the company to stop using either word.
* But if aloha is not for sale, someone needs to tell Hawaiians. If you check the Honolulu online telephone directory, you’ll find dozens of businesses that have decided to make commercial use of the term, including Aloha Upholstery and Aloha State Refrigeration.
* The critics want the company to drop the use of both words, which they say “belong to the whole Hawaiian culture – not to a U.S. company in Chicago.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opini...story.html
“We have knowledge that beyond the border there is a wonderful beauty, a space for beauty, for greatness […] if perhaps you can believe in it, if you have such an experience, your life is a little bit changed.” - László Krasznahorkai
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
