I heard some of them have eight legs
You know that stupid urban legend college kids always try to blow your mind with about how KFC is called that because the FDA said they can’t call their food sources ‘chickens’ anymore? And then some loser like me goes, “think about it, it’s obviously marketing. They don’t call it chemlawn anymore either.” Actually they do still call it chemlawn. Can you believe that? Anyway, according to snopes, the real reason is 10 times crazier than the Robochicken Hypothesis:
It sounded good, but the real reason behind the shift to KFC had nothing to do with healthy food or finicky consumers: it was about money — money that Kentucky Fried Chicken would have had to pay to continue using their original name. In 1990, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, mired in debt, took the unusual step of trademarking their name. Henceforth, anyone using the word “Kentucky” for business reasons — inside or outside of the state — would have to obtain permission and pay licensing fees to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was an unusual and brilliant scheme to alleviate government debt, but it was also one that alienated one of the most famous companies ever associated with Kentucky. The venerable Kentucky Fried Chicken chain, a mainstay of American culture since its first franchise opened in Salt Lake City in 1952, refused as a matter of principle to pay royalties on a name they had been using for four decades. After a year of fruitless negotiations with the Kentucky state government, Kentucky Fried Chicken — unwilling to submit to “such a terrible injustice” — threw in the towel and changed their name instead, timing the announcement to coincide with the introduction of new packaging and products to obscure the real reasons behind the altering of their corporate name.
Kentucky Fried Chicken were not the only ones who bravely refused to knuckle under. The name of the most famous horse race in North America, held every year at Churchill Downs, was changed from the “Kentucky Derby” to “The Run for the Roses” for similar reasons; many seed and nursery outfits that had previously offered Kentucky Bluegrass switched to a product known as “Shenendoah Bluegrass” instead; and Neil Diamond’s song “Kentucky Woman” was dropped from radio playlists at his request, as the licensing fees he was obligated to pay the Commonwealth of Kentucky exceeded the peformance royalties he was receiving for the airplay.
SNOPED!
or should that be SNOPESED?
Its like double snoping. Man I wish that was true.
also, I’ll never be able to trust snopes again. the ultimate way (before this) to phish me would be to hack my browser to show “snopes.com” in the title bar and say “It’s ok to enter you account number hear. –Barbara ‘ID-Thieving’ Mikkelson” and i would totally do it.
and another thing, part of the reason I thought this was true is I remember reading about New York City trying to profit somehow from it’s ‘brand’ a few years ago (I specifically remember something about negotiations with Snapple to allow itself to call itself the official drink of New York or something), as well as the London underground. All i could find now though is this:
New York Loves Its Trademark
New York officials show no mercy in their bid to protect the “I ♥ New York” logo. The trademark, supplied free of charge by graphic designer Milton Glaser in 1976, helps beckon 140 million tourists to the Empire State each year. As others tried to tap the design over the years, state legal eagles have filed close to 3,000 trademark objections.
Apparel company 4 KAMM International is incensed at New York’s pending effort to halt the use of “I ♥” SF, Las Vegas, and Paris on everything from bumper stickers to calendars. Last year, New York shut down “I ♥ Yoga” T-shirts produced by a Florida Bikram yoga outfit. And in October, the U.S. Trademark & Patent Office is expected to hear a case filed by Michael Stewart, a clothing designer in Raleigh, N.C., challenging New York’s opposition to “I ♥ NC.”
Lawyers say Stewart’s case is stronger than most because of coloring differences and a change in the heart’s look. New York says this is about protecting a logo, not upping licensing fees, which totaled $900,000 in the past five years. “We aren’t in the business of taking apologies,” says Jonathan Faber, a lawyer at Collins, McDonald & Gann, which represents the state.
But who will watch the watchmen, Jeb? Who will watch the watchmen?