Solutions to "Solutions for America"

Nick Gillespie | February 25, 2008

As Hillary Clinton--and Morton® Salt--could tell you, "When it rains it pours."® Or something.

She's already spiraling down in the polls, and pretty much everyone has given up on her pulling the Democratic nomination back from Barack Obama.

Now, reports Inside Higher Ed, she might have a trademark and/or copyright problem, courtesy of the Univ. of Richmond (whose excellent team name is the Spiders):

Hillary Clinton's campaign has of late been pushing charges that Barack Obama plagiarized some phrases in his campaign speeches.

But what about one of Clinton's favorite phrases: "Solutions for America"? It's the name for many of her campaign events. Today will feature "Solutions for America" rallies by the campaign in Ohio, and the phrase has appeared as backdrop for many campaign rallies. It turns out, however, that an organization other than the Clinton campaign has the rights to the phrase.

"Solutions for America" is the registered trademark of a University of Richmond program with the Pew Charitable Trusts to help local communities work on a series of social problems. The emphases of the program - promoting child health, reviving neighborhoods, creating jobs - have considerable overlap with Clinton campaign themes....

The Web site of "Solutions for America" clearly indicates on the bottom a copyright by the University of Richmond and the database of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office indicates that Richmond obtained the trademark on the phrase, going through the standard legal process to do so....

We do know that Richmond takes its trademark rights seriously, and doesn't like other entities using the phrase.

In 2005, for example, the American Council on Education started a campaign called "Solutions for Our Future" to highlight the role of higher education in solving problems facing American society. The consulting firm that worked with the ACE on developing that campaign told Inside Higher Ed that year that the group wanted the "Solutions for America" slogan, but that the University of Richmond had rights to the phrase and wouldn't share them.

More here.

I think it was me--no, wait it was Bob Dylan, but what the hell--who once croaked, "Steal a little and they throw you in jail; steal a lot and they make you king." I generally find most intellectual property laws are stupid (trademark not nearly as much as copyright), but the real crime here might be the stultifyingly banal slogans not just Clinton but most pols and institutions trot out like so many crippled ponies.

reason on intellectual property/copyright/etc.

Comments

|2.25.08 @ 12:06PM|#

The further along this thing goes, the worse shape HRC is in and will continue to be. She can't out-positive Sen. Warmfuzzy (D-Carealot) and there's virtually nothing negative that she can pin to him that either she or Bill hasn't already done fivefold.

But... name recognition!!! Vagina! Go Hillary!

|2.25.08 @ 12:07PM|#

I heard Barack Obama was plagarizing from his own speechwriters!

That BASTARD!

SAS|2.25.08 @ 12:18PM|#

A crippled pony would be better than no pony at all.

HRC is going to give me a special pony! :)

ed|2.25.08 @ 12:23PM|#

She's already spiraling down in the polls

I prefer "circling the drain". Same idea but funnier imagery.

|2.25.08 @ 12:26PM|#

I'm a student at U. Richmond Law where we have quite a strong IP program. I'll have to ask if they plan to sue. Boy, would that be funny.

x,y|2.25.08 @ 12:52PM|#

joe wins the thread.

|2.25.08 @ 1:00PM|#

"We don't know whose fault it was, but we know whose fault it wasn't."
Hillary is *probably* not going to bow out gracefully. My prediction is that she will go down swinging, after a bloody melee at the Democrats' convention.

And I will laugh and cheer.

GG|2.25.08 @ 1:19PM|#

Hillary borrowed a phrase or two from Obama as well. Heh. The Obama zealots are not amused.

I generally find most intellectual property laws are stupid

Apparently, so does the Senate Judiciary Committee.

highnumber|2.25.08 @ 1:59PM|#

I predict...Hillary will bow out very soon.

(I said that a week or so ago, but I still think it's coming, at the latest, immediately after Texas and Ohio, and, anyway, Criswell always makes me smile to myself.)

Jeff|2.25.08 @ 2:18PM|#

But Obama stole Bob the Builder's trademark line.

See video evidence!!

|2.25.08 @ 2:23PM|#

That BASTARD!

Mike Laursen|2.25.08 @ 3:12PM|#

"Solutions for America", huh? All of a sudden I understand why I have a visceral negative reaction to Hillary -- she exudes the same thin layer of forced enthusiasm not quite concealing a bland but driven, uninspired corporate drone soul as an SAP Marketing Executive.

Rakune|2.25.08 @ 3:43PM|#

Bob Dylan stole from Mark Twain. I'm too lazy to find a link but I believe Twain's story was about firewood and Federal government expense accounts from the book "Roughing It". Twains brother worked for the Nevada territorial governor (circa 1862).

highnumber|2.25.08 @ 4:11PM|#

Love & Theft is mostly stolen from other sources.

NoStar|2.25.08 @ 4:20PM|#

It's like my old chemistry teacher said, "If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."

|2.25.08 @ 5:39PM|#

"Steal a little and they throw you in jail; steal a lot and they make you king."

Dylan copied that from Picasso.

"Bad artists copy. Good artists steal."

|2.25.08 @ 5:45PM|#

If only Obama copied a little less from this:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0451527100/reasonmagazineA/

And and stole a little more from this:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0226320618/reasonmagazineA/

|2.25.08 @ 5:48PM|#

I'll steal a good idea from anybody!

|2.25.08 @ 7:19PM|#

It's an OBAMA nation!