The difference between a Gun, a Stripper & a G-String. Spearmint Rhino Sues Chiappa [SFW]
The Spearmint Rhino, the international a chain of strip clubs, is suing Chiappa Firearms over the logo used on their Chiappa Firearms Rhino revolvers. They claim that consumers could confuse the revolver with one of their strip clubs or branded g-strings, brassieres and corsets.
![rhino tm tfb The difference between a Gun, a Stripper & a G String. Spearmint Rhino Sues Chiappa [SFW] photo](http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/rhino-tfb.jpg "rhino tm tfb The difference between a Gun, a Stripper & a G String. Spearmint Rhino Sues Chiappa [SFW] photo")
Milord & Associates, a law firm which specialize in patent, trademark & copyright law, report that the lawsuit is going to be difficult to win ...
Although the registrations cover goods and services in the adult entertainment industry, e.g. cabarets and “panties, g-strings, brassieres and corsets for semi-nude and erotic dancers,” Rhino sued Chiappa Firearms for allegedly using a confusingly similar Rhino design on its handguns: “Chiappa’s use of the Rhino Outline marks is likely to cause confusion, or to cause mistake, or to deceive because, among other reasons, consumers are likely to believe that there is an affiliation, connection, or association between” Rhino and Chiappa. Seriously? Maybe I’m a bit daft, but will consumers really confuse panties and guns?
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Whatever Rhino’s belief, counsel should’ve advised that this is a very difficult case to prove. If Rhino owned a copyright on the work, there would be more of a case. But where the goods or services are so unrelated, confusion among consumers is highly unlikely.
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I wonder if they’ll sue Wrigley’s gum for using Spearmint in the title of their product too
So are Wriglers sueing spearmint rhino for their copyright? Everybody will be sueing everybody. Oh wait, don’t they do that now? Just to keep the lawyers busy?
So a line drawing of a rhino is a copyright? What if someone “tagged” a building with this drawing, would they sue them too?
Stupid.
If I was from Chiappa and we won, what will happen, I would add a spearmint leaf to the logo. You know just a polite way to say FY.
The only thing worst than those frivolous lawsuits is the malabarism the public sector does with money and bureaucracy.
In my opinion, the two logos are too dissimilar to create product confusion. They do share in common the rhinoceros, but the strip club cannot copyright the animal or the animal’s name: and, their stylized logo is different from that of the Chiappa, which is named for its obvious front profile. Add to all of that the completely disparate products offered. This is a loser lawsuit and some lawyer ought to have Rule 11 sanctions whipped on him.
“Spearmint” Rhino? Wrigley’s lawyers must be laughing their chiappas off — talk about an easy win.
Frivolous suit.
Of course you can see the similarity…!!! Now my countrie’s “Cerveceria Costa Rica” can sue Ruger for the eagle…
http://www.yankeegunnuts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Ruger-logo_final_lg_1_1.jpg
http://greatbrewers.com/image/brand-imperial-cerveza-de-costa-rica?size=_original
I hope that the lawsuit is dismissed…totally different product and market…
How many different ways can you draw a Rhino silhouette?
I’m not sure what the problem is, the firearm logo isn’t even a rhino, it’s a pac-man on crack silhouette.
should sue these guys too… http://rhinomediamalta.com/
Good thing I’d never heard of the spearmint rhino club or I would have thrown all my money at my gun and tried to use a stripper at an IDPA match. I wonder how you conceal a ho?
They’re in Las Vegas, SHOT show is in Las Vegas. The solution is simple: BOYCOTT SPEARMINT RHINO!!! You know more than a few SHOT show attendees are going to this place, let’s make it known that at the next SHOT show, 2012, as well as 2013 and 2014, SHOT attendees so inclined as to visit a strip club will be visiting other locations. There is a dearth of them in Las Vegas, just be sure to mention it to the managers, or at least the girl giving you a lap dance.
Confirming the timeless, “Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?”
I cannot belive everyone sues everyone over such things like this.This is law at its stupidiest point.Dont they other things to cry about.Really silly people.
Yeah, I opened the box when I got home… expecting a lap dance. All I got was this revolver! DANG IT!
As someone that’s been to a Spearmint Rhino take my advice, if you wre ever near one you go in.
Sounds like the Chevy Beretta dust up.
Man, there has -got- to be a joke in there somewhere about concealed carry, but I can’t find it.
This title was awesome… Not sure which I prefer most!
logos..more then 20% different…good luck to the stripers….its all going to rest on how good the lawyers can make their complaint stick…should not even make it to court, some judge should self this one. what about Rhino Tactical training…..id sign up if the teachers were great looking strippers…lol bottom line it got them free (relatively cheap) advertising
You’d also expect people to know the difference between endangered Pandas and ‘roided-up men in tight costumes pretending to beat the living crèpe out of each other while occasionally being pummeled with a folding chair by their opponent’s manager, but that didn’t stop the World Wildlife Fund from successfully suing the World Wrestling Federation over the use of the letters “WWF”.
Well… Chiappa is the surname of the founder of Chiappa Firearms (Ezechiele Chiappa) but in italian “chiappa” also means “BUTTOCKS CHEEK” !!!
THIS CANT BE A COINCIDENCE!
This what happens when there is a glut of “lawyers”…Who represents the rhino?
Spiff
Actually I see it. I visualize that some clients might think the strip club has licensed a product line of guns. Getting the wrong idea, and not liking weapons, some folks might shy away from the clubs because of the confusion.
I dont agree and would not care, but others may.
Personally, I think if the people are ignorant enough to confuse the two of them they shouldn’t be buying a firearm in the first place.
Intellectual property hounds are trash. There is no relation of services and the designs are only vaguely similar.
Do these strip clubs hold copyright on all rhinos in circles?
Hilarious!
Business at the Spearmint must be really slow these days…
http://thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/07/daniel-zimmerman/weekend-photo-caption-contest-3/
Based upon the caption above, I completely understand the lawsuit. And if someone would please help me explain to my wife some charges on my credit card… see what had happened was I thought I was going to a gun shop… one thing led to another and…. remember that scene in Full Metal Jacket when they march around singing “this is my rifle, this is my gun, this is for fighting, this is for fun”…. yeah, a lot like that…
C’mon, can’t Spearmint’s tell the differences between a black rhino and a white rhino…? Look at the ear sizes. “I seen it right off!”
”Honey, I swear I thought it was a gun store. Where everything had to be paid for in singles.”
Well, I’ve just tried to put my underwear on and I seem to have shot myself in the b*llocks. What I thought was underwear was a Revolver, easy mistake to make what with them logo’s looking the same……not.
I’m always getting my guns and underwear mixed up…
Even if it wasn’t intentional (how/why would it be?) the two logos really are quite similar.
The real funny thing is that “chiappa” means “buttock” in Italian.
So, let me get this straight, Spearmint Rhino, a chain of strip clubs that has been busted in the past for being nothing more then a collection of pseudo-brothels is concerned that it’s brand image might be tarnished by a mistaken association with a gun maker?
The only upside is that the next time my girlfriend catches me with a pair of panties in my pocket, I can tell her that I got it mixed up with my gun.
I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be no lawsuit and this is just some PR bullshit-tery dreamed up by Spearmint Rhino’s marketing team to get their clubs mentioned in the news.