Yosemite to Rename Several Iconic Places (Because concessionaire trademarked them)

[MattSh]

Yosemite to Rename Several Iconic Places | Outside Online

Can a private company trademark public property? That's the question the feds are scrambling to answer after a longtime concessionaire in Yosemite claimed rights to the names of some of the park's most iconic locations.

Bid goodbye to Yosemite’s familiar Ahwahnee hotel, Yosemite Lodge, the Wawona Hotel, Curry Village, and Badger Pass ski area—or their names, anyway. The National Park Service said today it will rename many well-known spots in Yosemite, as part of an ongoing legal dispute with an outgoing concessionaire that has trademarked many names in the world-famous park.

“While it is unfortunate that we must take this action, changing the names of these facilities will help us provide seamless service to the American public during the transition to the new concessioner,” Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher said today.

Among the changes: Yosemite Lodge at the Falls will become Yosemite Valley Lodge; The Ahwahnee Hotel will become the Majestic Yosemite Hotel; Curry Village will become Half Dome Village; Wawona Hotel will become Big Trees Lodge; and Badger Pass Ski Area will become Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area.

What else might this mean? Officials aren’t sure. The park remains open. And the park service insists that the experience for park visitors won’t change. By March 1, though—the date the new concessionaire takes over—signs all over the park have to be taken down and changed. “It’s not only signs on the hotel, it’s directional signs around the park,” including the famous brown park signs— not to mention marketing materials and brochures and anything else that uses the trademarked words, said Scott Gediman, a spokesman for Yosemite National Park.


The outgoing company also trademarked “Yosemite National Park” for merchandising purposes, said Gediman. Will you be able to buy a Yosemite T-shirt at the gift shop come March 1? “That’s something that remains to be determined,” he said.


-----> http://www.outsideonline.com/2048041/who-owns-yosemite

[merrily]

1. They can't contest the trademark registration?

[MattSh]

3. Apparently they can...

but it can't be completed in the 6 weeks before the new concessionaire takes over. The Park Service says it will have to shut these hotels and attractions if not resolved before then. The current concessionaire says it will allow the Park Service to continue to use the names free while the case winds its way through the courts. But of course, if the Park Service does change the names, the value of the trademarked name will likely decrease substantially, which is probably why they offered to allow the name to continue to be used.

[merrily]

5. Doesn't sound right AT ALL.

"The Park Service says it will have to shut these hotels and attractions if not resolved before then." Or what?

[marble falls]

2. I'm tradmarking 'Washington Monument'. It will be hence forth known ...

as "Georges's Big Erection in the Sky"

[Bluenorthwest]

4. Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts is the vendor, they also have contracts at Grand

Canyon, Niagara Falls State Park, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex...they run airport concessions at LAX, Detroit International and others, TD Garden in Boston. The list goes on and on...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_North