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Dueling Billboards Debate Wife's Hotness
NBC Miami ^ | Thu, Oct 29, 2009 | SHARON LAWSON

Posted on 10/30/2009 11:40:35 AM PDT by nickcarraway

Battle of the South Florida billboards heats up

The billboard catches the attention of drivers and truckers traveling on the highways. "YOUR WIFE IS HOT" -- BETTER GET YOUR A/C FIXED," it reads, in big bold letters.

A clever and sexy slogan developed in January by Air Around the Clock, an A/C and appliance service based in Broward County. But now the slogan is generating a lot of heat after its competitor, All Year Cooling, flipped the phrase this summer.

"YOUR WIFE IS NOT HOT! Because you called All Year Cooling to replace your A/C rather than the other guys," the competing billboard reads.

"It's quite upsetting", says Michael Lang, operations manager for Air Around the Clock. "We sent them a cease and desist order to stop, and they persisted so that's why we went ahead and filed the lawsuit."

Air Around the Clock, in a 28-page complaint, is accusing its competitor of trademark infringement and misrepresenting their services. The federal lawsuit also states that the advertisement is likely to cause confusion and deceive consumers as to the origin of the services.

"They have the same colors, the same graphics...our's are yellow and black, their's are yellow and black," Lang said. "You know, if they wanted to try and go about it in a different way, and not take our design maybe it would have been different, but they did."

Meredith Mendez, an attorney for All Year Cooling says her client put a clever spin on it.

"It's just fair competition and they're just mad we came up with a more clever slogan," Mendez said. Although Air Around the Clock has a trademark registration, Mendez doesn't believe the complaint will hold up in court.

"Their state trademark registration was merely an afterthought and it was done right after we started using our billboards," she said.

"We have plenty of other competitors that compete in a fair manner, we just felt like they went about it in an unfair manner and if you want to come up with something, come up with your own ad campaign," Lang said.

It's a battle of the billboards that both sides plan to air-out in court.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: advertising; airconditioning; marketing
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1 posted on 10/30/2009 11:40:36 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

That’s pretty funny... almost as funny as the one company trying to legally stop the other company from their billboard.


2 posted on 10/30/2009 11:41:56 AM PDT by mnehring
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To: nickcarraway

His wife was "hot", too.

3 posted on 10/30/2009 11:45:40 AM PDT by andy58-in-nh (America does not need to be organized: it needs to be liberated.)
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To: nickcarraway

4 posted on 10/30/2009 11:47:28 AM PDT by TexasCajun
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To: andy58-in-nh

The question is, is that billboard going to hurt hid reputation, or help him get more girlfriends?


5 posted on 10/30/2009 11:47:57 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

.... trademark infringement...

__________________________

Really? I’ve seen the same ‘Your wife is hot’ signs here in Texas.

I seriously doubt anyone has a trademark.


6 posted on 10/30/2009 11:49:39 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (I am Legend)
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To: nickcarraway

I saw the same “wife is hot” sign in Timonium, Maryland (by the fairgrounds) on York Rd, a few months ago. Unless they have a franchise in MD, well...


7 posted on 10/30/2009 11:50:27 AM PDT by VastRWCon (Drill Baby Drill - Sarah Palin 2012)
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To: All

sheesh, get over it boys


8 posted on 10/30/2009 11:51:56 AM PDT by Shimmer1 (Froggie sez water nice and warm.)
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To: nickcarraway
It might help him, come to think of it. Nothing would help this guy, however:


9 posted on 10/30/2009 11:52:14 AM PDT by andy58-in-nh (America does not need to be organized: it needs to be liberated.)
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To: Responsibility2nd

My guess it is the fact they mention the company by name on their bilbord and the company name is most likely tm’d.


10 posted on 10/30/2009 11:52:53 AM PDT by CTK YKC
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To: andy58-in-nh

That can’t be real....


11 posted on 10/30/2009 11:53:25 AM PDT by CaptRon
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To: nickcarraway

It must be winter time because the reporters are doing storys from lazy third world miami.


12 posted on 10/30/2009 11:54:25 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: nickcarraway
"It's just fair competition and they're just mad we came up with a more clever slogan,"
Came up with a more clever slogan? Hardly.
That's like CNN using "EVEN MORE Fair & Balanced" and calling it original and clever...
13 posted on 10/30/2009 11:55:14 AM PDT by astyanax (Liberalism: Logic's retarded cousin.)
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To: nickcarraway
VERY funny! Saw a billboard by Dunkin' Donuts ..........

"We don't clown around with coffee."

14 posted on 10/30/2009 11:56:14 AM PDT by Daffynition (What's all this about hellfire and Dalmatians?)
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To: CaptRon
Apparently, it was real; here's the same billboard - taken from a different angle:


15 posted on 10/30/2009 11:58:48 AM PDT by andy58-in-nh (America does not need to be organized: it needs to be liberated.)
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To: nickcarraway
"It's just fair competition and they're just mad we came up with a more clever slogan," Mendez said.

Bingo.

16 posted on 10/30/2009 12:04:22 PM PDT by xjcsa (And these three remain: change, hope and government. But the greatest of these is government.)
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To: andy58-in-nh

She spent a lot her alimony on that.


17 posted on 10/30/2009 12:31:22 PM PDT by CaptRon
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To: CaptRon

Definitely not a logical move on her part but...”Hell hath no fury”, etc.


18 posted on 10/30/2009 12:33:41 PM PDT by andy58-in-nh (America does not need to be organized: it needs to be liberated.)
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To: andy58-in-nh

Don’t I know it!


19 posted on 10/30/2009 12:34:25 PM PDT by CaptRon
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To: andy58-in-nh
So, if she made a mistake and he wasn't cheating, then is she subject to a lawsuit?




These billboards could be ads for the spy shop that sells this equipment?

20 posted on 10/30/2009 12:42:35 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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