supernerd222 215 Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 Apparently Rearz was going to try to trademark 'ABDL'? I missed this while it was taking place, and it seems that Rearz has deleted some blog posts about it and replaced it with a bland apology. Does anyone have a better summary of what happened or what the reasoning was on Rearz's part? Kyuu 1 Quote Link to comment
rachelkirwan 13,625 Posted January 7, 2018 🌟 OmoOrg VIP Share Posted January 7, 2018 Yikes... and I'd not heard. I'll look into it. Anyone else know? Quote Link to comment
babymikeblue96 5 Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 they took it back and not going to do it Quote Link to comment
Short Shanks 66 Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 Trademark application It seems like they wanted to be the only ones able to market their diapers as ABDL diapers and steal the market, so to speak. They went for it in October, but people found out and were obviously pissed. "You don't own us". "The acronym isn't yours". Etc. Seems like a practical business move if it could have been sneaked through, forcing others to re-brand themselves to cater less to the target audience, leaving Rearz in a better position to exploit our market. But it's also a huge dick move, in my opinion. Kyuu 1 Quote Link to comment
supernerd222 215 Posted January 7, 2018 Author Share Posted January 7, 2018 A huge dick move for sure. Especially considering that Bambino was doing fancy ABDL diapers long before Rearz was a thing. I have some Rearz diapers and they're alright, but this makes me want to try a different brand next time. Quote Link to comment
Storytime 122 Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 (edited) I think it's also important to not try and use terms like "practical business move" if it essentially disrupts the market. It's a selfish, brand destroying move, sure but not practical, as that has some kind of positive connotation. I see it all the time in gaming circles. EA and Warner are making "practical" moves by gouging their customers and breaking their own games to get more money out of people. I'm not saying you agree with them, I just think the language surrounding how we discuss these companies can also stand to change. Edited January 8, 2018 by Storytime (see edit history) Kyuu 1 Quote Link to comment
Bothan1138 425 Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 From what I’ve read, they were attempting to get a trademark on “ABDL” because a lot of websites such as Amazon or eBay we’re blocking their listings because they were using a term that those websites consider an Adult Sexual Fetish term. And if we’re being completely honest with ourselves, it is. But Rearz apparently thought that they could get around that if they had “ABDL” as a trademarked term. What they didn’t count on was the backlash from ABDLs because of this. The attitude was basically “That’s our word. You don’t own us.” And a combination of the backlash and a realization that they probably couldn’t even trademark ABDL in the first place, caused them to back off and give up on the idea. Kyuu 1 Quote Link to comment
Short Shanks 66 Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 (edited) The nice thing about us a market is that we are fairly niche and relatively small, so vocal outcries and threats to boycott can give us a large amount of leverage and thus a modicum of protection from being too desperately gouged by soulless corporate money-grasping. Edited January 8, 2018 by Short Shanks (see edit history) Quote Link to comment
WildRoseBaby 27 Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 (edited) I think the people at Rearz know nothing about how trademarks work and got taken to the cleaners by some lawyer. You can't not defend a trademark or copyright and keep it like they claim they were going to. I doubt the courts would support trying to trademark an acronym that has been in use since before your company existed. Edited January 8, 2018 by WildRoseBaby (see edit history) Quote Link to comment
supernerd222 215 Posted January 9, 2018 Author Share Posted January 9, 2018 10 hours ago, Bothan1138 said: From what I’ve read, they were attempting to get a trademark on “ABDL” because a lot of websites such as Amazon or eBay we’re blocking their listings because they were using a term that those websites consider an Adult Sexual Fetish term. Would that matter though? I just checked and both Amazon and Ebay carry lots of dildos, bondage gear, chastity cages, etc. They also both have some ABDL clothes and diapers listed with ABDL in the name, and even a selection of Rearz diapers (through a third-party seller on eBay, direct from Rearz on amazon). Quote Link to comment
Bothan1138 425 Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 *shrug* You make a fair point. I’m just repeating what I’ve read elsewhere. I thought it was a reasonable argument, but what you’re saying makes me double-think that. Honestly, I don’t know. Supposedly there was a semi-logical reason behind it. One that wasn’t just your standard Soulless Corporation nonsense. *shrug* Quote Link to comment
Kyuu 6,092 Posted January 9, 2018 👑 Administrator Share Posted January 9, 2018 This reminds me a lot of that episode of Kitchen Nightmare's where someone trademarked the word "hun" in a Southern town and garnered tons of hatred from everyone because of it, heh. I don't think things like this should ever be trademark-able. The backlash is 100% expected and justified. I don't know what the companies intentions really were, but this was a really stupid idea regardless. Really, that's like me trying to trademark the term Omorashi. Quote Link to comment
DeltaFoxtrot 173 Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 Trying to trademark ABDL would be like trying to trademark LGBT or BDSM. Foolish because... 1: No court is going to allow it because use of the term pre-dates the company by decades, they didn't come up with it so they can't own it. 2: Even making the attempt is going to generate a LOT of backlash from members of the community. Now that word has spread through the ABDL community I expect Rearz days as a company are numbered. Quote Link to comment
CaptainCranberry 166 Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 I heard about this on a subreddit a few days ago. Really scummy and a great way to alienate your customers. Quote Link to comment
Bothan1138 425 Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 22 hours ago, DeltaFoxtrot said: Now that word has spread through the ABDL community I expect Rearz days as a company are numbered. I kinda doubt that. They’ve already admitted that they screwed up. Now it’s all down to customer service and the quality of their products. And while I haven’t had the chance to try any of their stuff yet myself, I’ve seen some pretty good reviews. Quote Link to comment
DeltaFoxtrot 173 Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 3 hours ago, Bothan1138 said: They’ve already admitted that they screwed up. Now it’s all down to customer service and the quality of their products. And while I haven’t had the chance to try any of their stuff yet myself, I’ve seen some pretty good reviews. They're only sorry because they got CAUGHT. But you are correct in that the consumer is very fickle and has a short memory. If Rearz keeps putting out a decent product many people will likely keep buying, even though they know exactly how the company actually feels about the community. Quote Link to comment
Bothan1138 425 Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 1 hour ago, DeltaFoxtrot said: But you are correct in that the consumer is very fickle and has a short memory. I’m not sure if that’s the way to phrase it, but I get your point. Internet outrage tends to be intense, but short lived. 1 hour ago, DeltaFoxtrot said: If Rearz keeps putting out a decent product many people will likely keep buying From the reviews I’ve read or watched, a lot of people love their products. Especially the Safari diapers. 1 hour ago, DeltaFoxtrot said: even though they know exactly how the company actually feels about the community. Maybe it’s just me but the attempt to trademark ABDL doesn’t really seem malicious to me. Money-grubbing perhaps, but not malicious. Quote Link to comment
supernerd222 215 Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 5 hours ago, Bothan1138 said: Maybe it’s just me but the attempt to trademark ABDL doesn’t really seem malicious to me. Money-grubbing perhaps, but not malicious. It was malicious to other companies that make ABDL diapers. By extension, it was malicious to anyone who prefers other brands of ABDL diapers, because it would have restricted the ability of other companies to market their ABDL diapers and therefore limited those people's access to their preferred diaper. Quote Link to comment
Bothan1138 425 Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 *shrug* Well, either way, I doubt they would have been awarded the trademark anyway. It isn’t a term they invented, so they almost certainly would not have gotten a trademark on “ABDL”. And since they don’t have it trademarked, and likely can’t get it trademarked, the only business they potentially hurt in the process was their own. And the effect on the community is minimal. Some outrage and some potential boycotting, but it didn’t actually do anything harmful to the community. Quote Link to comment
supernerd222 215 Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 57 minutes ago, Bothan1138 said: And the effect on the community is minimal. Some outrage and some potential boycotting, but it didn’t actually do anything harmful to the community. They tried to do something malicious. If they succeeded - however unlikely that may have been - it would have hurt the community. The reason it hurt their own business instead of the community is that the community got outraged and forced them to back down. None of this makes it okay for them to have tried it in the first place. I personally probably won't buy their diapers again. I can think of two other companies that make ABDL diapers and - as far as I know - neither one has ever tried to pull shit like this. You could think of it as a boycott, or you could think of it as a selling point that their competitors now have: never tried to abuse IP law. Storytime 1 Quote Link to comment
Bothan1138 425 Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 19 minutes ago, supernerd222 said: They tried to do something malicious Tried and failed. And was unlikely to succeed in the first place. You’re upset about something that could have happened, but didn’t. It makes no sense to me to be upset over some imagined worse case scenario that never actually happened. But that’s just my two cents. Quote Link to comment
supernerd222 215 Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 Just now, Bothan1138 said: Tried and failed. And was unlikely to succeed in the first place. You’re upset about something that could have happened, but didn’t. It makes no sense to me to be upset over some imagined worse case scenario that never actually happened. But that’s just my two cents. If I caught someone trying to break into my home, but I yelled at them and they stopped, I'd still be mad at them. That's how doing bad things works. If you try to do a bad thing, but you fail or someone stops you, people still get mad at you for trying. Quote Link to comment
Bothan1138 425 Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Oh come on. They were stupidly trying to get a trademark, not rob your damn house. Quote Link to comment
supernerd222 215 Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 2 minutes ago, Bothan1138 said: Oh come on. They were stupidly trying to get a trademark, not rob your damn house. They were trying to abuse IP law for profit. That's less bad than trying to break into my apartment, but still bad. Likewise, I'm less mad at them than I would be at someone trying to break into my place. The same rules apply, though. They tried to do a bad thing, they were stopped, but they still tried. Quote Link to comment
Bothan1138 425 Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Let’s agree to disagree. As far as I’m concerned, they tried to do something stupid and failed at it before it could do any actual harm to anyone but themselves. Quote Link to comment
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