Utynam's Heirs
A monthly column devoted to IP curiosities and controversies, named in honour of John of Utynam – who received the world’s first recorded patent in 1449 diary@managingip.com
Poor product placement
In the September issue of Managing IP, Utynam hoped that all brand owners would not take so hard a line on product placement as Abercrombie & Fitch did over the wearing of its clothes by Jersey Shore star Michael Sorrentino.
He can forgive Lacoste, however, for reacting equally strongly to Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik wearing its crocodile-branded knitwear in virtually all photographs and television appearances. Companies may differ on who they want as the face of their brand, but it's fair to say none would select a man who ruthlessly gunned down 69 people.
Rather than take Abercrombie's approach and offer to pay Breivik not to wear the clothes – which may have been an equally large PR disaster – Lacoste has simply asked that the prisoner not be allowed to...
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