Apparently, “Fight Like A Girl” is trademarked.
… and some group is going around sending DMCA notices to those who use the phrase on their artwork.
Is this a troll? I truly don’t understand. These jerks have absolutely no relation to my artwork other than a VERY POPULAR phrase.
I am truly upset.
Here is my artwork:
… after contacting Redbubble as to why my artwork was removed… I received this response:
I searched up TSDC, LLC and found this company’s Facebook page:
My artwork says “Fight Like A Girl”. Not “Fight Like A Girl Club” or “Fight Like A Girl Foundation”.
How is it that they can have power over such a universal phrase?
I’m feeling absolutely gutted that such a powerful message is being trademarked… I get it’s for cancer. I truly do. However, to take away such a universal and empowering message to dedicate to one single cause is just … unfair, to say the least.I don’t know what to do ;_;
UPDATE: they HAVE actually trademarked the phrase “Fight Like A Girl”. End this. Now.
An artist I support on Patreon got a notice like this. It doesn’t mater if the artists will stand to fight, the sites selling their stuff are caving in, effectively giving artists no recourse.
Here’s the page:
https://www.facebook.com/fightlikeagirlclub
Let’s show them how girls fight, then, shall we?
Don’t stand for this. That phrase belongs to girls. Not to them.
Reblog the shit out of this. They can’t be allowed to harass people. This is sketchy as hell.
My mom died of cancer and my relationship with her may have been shit, but I will be DAMNED if they are going to use the disease that killed my mother to bully people and make profits.
PLEASE BOOST. This needs to hit the wider Tumblr art community, and it hasn’t yet.
They’re deleting comments on their FB page.
Keep hittin’ ‘em. Keep hittin’ ‘em hard.
ETA: They’ve blocked me after a measly three comments. Keep at it.
Do they have a Twitter we can jump on too?
Ugh. This is such an abuse of trademark law.
Trademarks are supposed to protect SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS. They can copyright whatever phrase they want, but they only get to call dibs for a specific person. Their trademark is legally meant to protect them from people setting up deceptively similar foundations and cribbing their donations, and nothing more.
I wrote this on their wall:
“Hi. I’m thinking of donating to your foundation, but I had a question. What percentage of donations to your organization are used to illegally “trademark troll” other people who use the phrase “Fight Like A Girl” in non-infringing situations (i.e., they are not representing themselves as a club or foundation)?
Because if lawyers or agents in your employ have the time to comb the web for artists who happen to use the common English phrase “fight like a girl” in their art and sending them cease and desist letters or flood them with spurious DMCA takedown notices, I have to question both your priorities and your ability to put donations to good use.“
I suggest others do similarly.
