The Lance Armstrong Foundation has filed a trademark infringement suit against a Tulsa man who sells BarkStrong and PurrStrong dog and cat collars.
The collars are too similar to the bright yellow LiveStrong bracelets, the foundation says. The cancer support group founded by bicyclist Lance Armstrong has sold 65 million of the bracelets at $1 each.
Chris Ohman, founder of Animal Charity Collar Group Inc., defends himself in the Tulsa World newspaper, saying the collars aren't bright yellow like the LiveStrong bracelets and they glow in the dark, something that the LiveStrong bracelets don't do.
The Armstrong foundation notes that Ohman is running a for-profit company, not a charity. Ohman said he hasn't made a profit on the collars, which he says will benefit animal welfare groups.
Since the bright yellow LiveStrong bracelets first surfaced about three or four years ago, the foundation has worked hard on a high-profile campaign to knock down counterfeiters. However, I haven't read about the foundation going after silicon rubber bracelets sold for other non-profits, such as pink for breast cancer, blue for prostate cancer, and so forth.
Do the BarkStrong and PurrStrong bracelets infringe on the trademark? You can compare for yourself at the BarkStrong website and the LiveStrong wristband store website.
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