UP madness: when will it stop
>
> I received notice from my publisher today that the
> UP has
> decided (as of Jan. 1st) to take this trademark
> stupidity one step
> further and apply it to all future books,
> publications and even to
> railroad artwork.
>
> As a result I was told that although my next book is
> on the T&NO
> (which officially ceased to exist in the early
> 1960's) that we
> cannot use any SP logos anywhere in the publication
> other than
> those on equipment in photos. This means that no SP
> logo will
> be allowed in this historic book featuring the T&L
> lines of the SP!
>
> In addition we can not use any T&NO timetable, menu,
> etc. if it
> displays a SP logo although these public relation
> items were
> openly handed out for free by the T&NO during the
> 1940's,
> 1950's and 1960's.
>
> The same goes for the Katy book. No MKT logos can be
> used.
> Period.
>
> And now for the next step. We also can no longer use
> any of
> John Winfield's artwork on the cover of any book(s)
> if it shows a
> train, engine or equipment displaying any of these
> trademarked
> logos. Now although this would have no bearing on
> the
> proposed artwork on the T&NO book, it will keep me
> from
> commissioning John do a painting of the TEXAS
> SPECIAL for
> use on the cover of the Katy book.
>
> In addition to this (and I haven't had a chance to
> tell John this
> yet), John will no longer be allowed to run and sell
> prints of any
> UP related items. This madness will also apply to
> original
> commissioned works of art if they use or show any of
> these
> trademarked logos.
>
> Now please keep in mind that the UP has personally
> stepped up
> in the past and commissioned and or purchased
> several of
> John's paintings through the years, several of which
> currently
> hang in their corporate offices in Omaha.
>
> Also keep in mind that two years ago the UP opened
> up their
> own photo archives and supplied Morning Sun with
> almost 250
> photos of SP trains for a book on the SP. These same
> rules
> were not inforced at that time and the UP openly
> encouraged
> publishing companies like these to feature books on
> the UP and
> its merger partners.
>
> I ask everyone to take a few minutes and think over
> what is
> transpiring here. This is nothing more than
> corporate greed or
> legal stupidity on a unprecedented scale and
> something
> seriously needs to be done. I encourage everyone who
> feels that
> this is wrong to contact the UP, any of their
> shippers, etc. and
> voice their opposition to this madness.
________________________________________________________- I guess all publications would include model railroad magazines that have pictures of anything UP deems theirs. This would seem to indicate that a photo of a "real" UP car would be ok but anything else would not. Anything else would seem to me to include models. I mean if they are saying you can have artwork then models would be artwork in the loose sense of the word.