The Tennessee Republican Party began promoting their new bumper stickers as a promotion incentive for donors to the party. The stickers use a tagline criticizing the foreclosure reduction proposal made by the Obama Administration in response to the failed policies of the Republicans:
Honk if you're paying my mortgage
Bill Hobbs, no stranger to controversy, is the TN Republican Party's communications director. He's already been fired from Belmont University for posting a cartoon that said "Mohammad Blows" while on staff in their PR department.
Hobbs started promoting the stickers with the help of conservative marketeer Michael Patrick Leahy, a libertarian-leaning conservative who helped make Twitter the drug of choice for thousands of dittoheads.
Here's why this is a legal problem for the GOP:
- The TNGOP is offering the bumper sticker as an incentive for donations.
- The TNGOP used the Obama "O" logo without acknowledgment.
- It is unknown at this time whether the TNGOP asked for permission to use the Obama "O" logo for public marketing purposes.
- The Obama campaign specifically prohibited the use of the logos for any commercial use:
By downloading the Obama for America ("OFA") logo from this site, you agree that you will use the logo only for your personal, non-commercial use. You cannot market, promote, sell, or exchange anything that bears this logo. To avoid having to register with the FEC, you should limit your printed flyers, posters, or other materials for any event to 500 or fewer.
It's especially interesting to see this use issue come up in light of the fact that Tennessee's favorite image consultant, Marsha Blackburn, is currently pushing legislation to require radio stations to pay royalties, not only to songwriters, but also to performers who cover the songs.
Now, I'm all for rewarding musicians for plying their craft on the airwaves. I think it would be great to protect the artworks of these artists.
But given the fact that a Tennessee Republican is currently trying to push laws that protect artworks and artists, do you think that the TNGOP will be paying a royalty to the Obama campaign for use of the Obama logo?
I'm not holding my breath.
UPDATE 1:17 PM EST: Liberadio returns the favor.
Honk if you'd rather check my birth certificate than govern.
UPDATE #2 4:48 PM EST: Payback's a bitch, isn't it? Liberadio is selling its own bumper sticker.