Yes, we live in a litigious society. But even the most egregious ambulance chasers out there might be surprised by the news we got this morning from our friends at thefirearmblog.com. The fine folks who run the Spearmint Rhino gentlemen’s clubs are suing firearms firm Chiappa, makers of the unique Rhino revolvers. Don’t laugh so quickly, though. The suit isn’t nearly as far-fetched as you might think. Just look at those logos. You can see the obvious problem. There’s real potential for the unsuspecting consumer to be confused here. While it’s embarrassing, I have to confess that I suffered some disorientation because of this the first time I rented a Rhino at a local range. What I really wanted was a lap dance and bottle service. Imagine my shock, horror and disappointment when the man behind the counter handed me a 5” .357 revolver. [shudder] I still have nightmares.
I’m all for stripper approved firearms. Now which has more plastic in their frame?
AFAIK, the “Spearmint Rhino” clubs are a UK chain. You can’t buy a firearm in the UK. The chance of brand confusion is nil.
Nope. They’re here too.
I’ve been there. Best club in Vegas.
How many ways can you draw an outline of a rhino’s head (side view)?
So if a rhino sideways in a circle is trademarked, are we still allowed to sight them in our scopes from the side when hunting them or do we have to shoot them from behind or head on and stick with iron sights for side shots?
This is a really dumb lawsuit.
I think we’re all missing the obvious question… WTF kinda name is “Spearmint Rhino” for a strip club?!?!
Yes, I can see how this would cause confusion. I went to the range last week and the woman behind the counter tried to give me a lap dance.
No honey, I already told you, I thought the strip club was selling guns! Just look at this confusing logo!
Speaking as someone who dated a lawyer once… It’s not close enough. The club is trying for a quick payoff to drop the suit.
The colors are different, the head is facing the other way, and the clubs logo includes ears.
This will never fly. Some years ago there was a computer company called Digital Equipment Corporation: DEC, for short. They had a computer system they called VAX, which stood for Virtual Address eXtension. Back in the late ’80s, early ’90s there was a vaccum cleaner sold through Sears called the VAX. *I* thought it was a copyright infringment, but apparently because there was no way to confuse the two, the vaccum cleaner kept its name. So I expect both companies here to keep theirs, too.
It has to be be a certian percentage differnet (like 70% ) and I dont know if the Chiappa meets that requirement. A&M student had to stop selling the Saw Em’ Off shirts becuase they infringed on the UT Longhorn logo. While they can contend that the image of a “rhino” cannot be copyrighted, the style and the outline are very similar, I doubt it meets the percentage requirement. Chiappa may have to issue a recal and change their logo, that should make the pistoles issued with the infringed logo more valuable to collectors.