Branding Police - Corporate Facism

As a follow up to my last post: Branding - this news item caught my eye...

Once you have created a brand and you have trademarked it and own it... You must now defend it and destroy all who would seek to infringe upon it for personal benefit.

The London 2012 Olympic committee has organized their own enforcement army, clothed in purple, which is in the midst of investigating, fining, prosecuting or intimidating into submission the likes of 81 year old grandmothers, local florists and butchers, long established English businesses have been forced to change their names or face fine up to $60 000.

French fries have been banned at over 800 retailers at the behest of McDonalds who hold exclusive rights.

The the imperial (based on their purple uniforms) international corporate olympic army and are not only attacking local business but are investigating the British 'Royal family'... Kate Middleton's parents business, an online retailer is selling unofficial olympic themed merchandise that has caused concern.

Here is the list of banned/controlled words/symbols:

The Olympic Symbol (the five interlocking rings)
The Olympic Motto (Citius Altius Fortius' / 'Faster Higher Stronger'
Olympic (s)
Olympiad (s)
Olympian (s)
The Paralympic Symbol (the three 'agitos')
The Paralympic Motto ('Spirit in Motion')
Paralympic (s)
Paralympiad (s)
Paralympian (s)
London
Games
Summer
Two thousand and twelve
2012
Twenty Twelve
Medals
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Sponsors

One clever owner has avoided prosecution and is being hailed as a hero for this clever work around:

The Olympics was once a celebration of human achievement, international peace and camaraderie... The games were reborn from ancient Greece, as an idea for social reform in Victorian Britain...

It has become the most blatant example of corporate harlotry and fascism: thus perfectly reflecting our narcissistic consumer culture. In perfect unity with the prevision of goodwill and clean sports to corporate profit, the mascots of the games are two giant one eyed monsters...

That's right penises.

Apparently that mascots charge 1000 British pounds to attend school events... but somehow marketing  these abominations for bachelorette parties seems more profitable.

Why the nearly bankrupt country of Greece has not sued the IOC for usurping their moral and historical ownership of the Olympics or at least the name Olympics is beyond me... If it is possible to own single words certainly Greece should have a claim on that one.

Woe to you daughters of England! For the language you birthed in your youth has been sold into slavery in Egypt, it has been exiled to whore in the palaces of Babylon and bleeds for the pleasure of Rome. As you find your tongue and your pen bound and silenced, only your sword will stand between you and the corporate apocalypse. 

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/london-olympics-branding-police-subverted-devilish-formalwear-shop-173007466--oly.html

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/07/23/olympic-brand-police-out-in-full-force/

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/middletons-receive-royal-treatment-olympic-faux-pas-195222485--oly.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2151907/London-2012-Olympics-What-Much-Wenlock-teach-todays-greedy-control-freaks.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/britain-flooded-with-brand-police-to-protect-sponsors-7945436.html

Branding...

I would be surprised if many of you upon reading the title of this post had visions of the burning of a cows flesh with a unique iron design in order to indicate ownership.

"to make a mark by charring" - and can be administered to wood, livestock or humans...

This original meaning is almost entirely lost in our modern hyper-corporate, advertising drenched, consumer capitalist culture.

It now means (basically exclusively):
the act of giving a company a particular design or symbol in order to advertise its products and services
Both a name, logo, and slogan are part of the "branding" process to create for a company a unique, recognizable and memorable identity.

Names, logos and slogans can be trademarked and owned.

Trademarking is a formal registration process which costs somewhere between 100-300 dollars and gives you exclusive rights to the trademark for 15 years at which time it is open for renewal for another 15 years etc.

So while there are legal aspects there is also practical ones. Regardless of legal trademarks choosing a name that is the same as another company is problematic and liable to cause confusion. However, as the internet shrinks our world, the amount of other companies that one is competing with for online recognition expands.

Naming things is a very human activity. Both knowing names and giving names.

Naming the animals was the task Adam was given by God in Genesis 2. 

I like naming things. Coming up with a name for a band or website or piece of art is one of my favourite parts.

Coming up with funny baby names is fantastic!

I feel awful when I forget people's names...

Often people use their own name in creating a brand:
Real Estate Agents, Actors, Directors, Photographers, Artists, Contractors...
Your name has the advantage of, most of the time, already being unique.
I have often put the title "a Duncan Ris film" at the beginning of my video projects. 

As I am slowly and hesitantly embarking on creating my own small production company, I have the exciting task of picking a name...

The production company name I used in high school was "Shoe Nazi Productions" - a double reference to Seinfeld's "soup nazi" and a prank my cabin, at Charis Camp, pulled involving stealing everyone's shoes...

Other names I have used have been:
Endurance TV
Broken Laughter
and most recently: Camosun

Camosun Productions. (Its too bad I don't have a website yet I could add a link here)

I live near Camosun street and Camosun Bog.
“Camosun”, a local Lekwungen (Songhees) First Nation name meaning “where different waters meet and are transformed.”
This idea of gathering and transformation captures much of my hope and vision of the power of film and television.
Choosing the name Camosun is also a way in which I was trying to embrace my locality.

Am I stealing and repurposing First Nations culture? I don't think so. Although I welcome First Nations input on the matter. I am trying integrate myself into the land and people I find myself in...

However this leads me to another point: Is there something inherently problematic with the idea and reality of branding. The coopting of language for the purpose sales...

Is there something in that process that drains meaning out of the very words we are using/stealing?

"Marketing is essentially feeding the poop back to diners fast enough to them think they're still getting real food. Its not creation, really, but theft, and no one ever feels good about stealing." - Generation X, Douglas Coupland

Do I want to be a brand? If I become a brand do I become less of a person? How do I navigate and separate my work and my identity well? How does using my name as a brand impact this already challenging task?

Also while I really like the name Camosun Productions for a variety of reasons. I am concerned that it is too close to Camosun College. And while using my name would be simple, I don't want to do that either.

As I tried to think up other names, checking them with 'Our Lord and Saviour' Google, I found that most of my ideas are already taken including "Big Tree Productions," which I thought was one of the less obvious ones.

So here is my list:

ALREADY TAKEN:

Endurance Productions – (USA/Korea)
    - This is a reference to Disce Pati - Learn to Endure, which I have branded on my wrist as a tattoo.
Grey Sky Productions – (New Jersey)
    - Whose skies are greyer? Vancouver or New Jersey?
Meaningless Productions – (youtube)
    - Ecclesiastes baby! oh well... its also kinda negative... especially if I want to shoot wedding videos.
Sound and Fury Productions – (somewhere)
    - Macbeth reference via Slings and Arrows

Dunbar Productions – (here)
Big Tree Productions - (somewhere)
Why Not Productions – (France)

Typewriter Productions - (USA)

KINDA ALREADY TAKEN:
Stump Productions – Greg Stump Productions exists and dominates Google
Applehill Productions – Apple Hill Productions Inc. exists with a bad website... (New Brunswick)
    - The street I grew up on...
Sleepy Tree Productions – Sleeping Tree Productions exists in San Francisco
    - There is a tree that is lying down in a park near Lacarno. Its picture is currently at the beginning of Rise and Fall.

Camosun Productions – Possibly too close to Camosun College (Victoria)
14th Avenue Productions - 14th Street Productions already exists...

NOT TAKEN:
Broken Laughter Productions - This feels old... I have moved on.
Blue Sock Productions - I like this one but it's kind of weird...
Disce Pati Productions – Already part of my email and tattooed on my body and related to my name... BUT I don't like the way it sounds!
Baby Beard Productions - In desperation for the unique, the weird becomes more prominent (this might become a blog post). Also this is a reference to my first video in film school Candy.

OTHER:
Smoke, Mirrors and Cigarette Productions - Not great for weddings and I would need permission...

I am open to votes, thoughts, advice and ideas...