Tories fight with Asbestos Widow over Logo

[BubberMiley]

So I'm not sure if the Tories don't understand how trademarks work, or they just like to look like whiny bullies.

Good public relations, though, picking on a widow because she dared criticize them.

I look forward to the lackeys and hacks defending them, criticizing the widow's character, and trying (somehow, some way) to blame the Liberals or the NPD.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-tussle-with-widow-over-use-of-party-logo-in-asbestos-ad-campaign/article2128997/

Edited August 15, 2011 by BubberMiley

[Chrissy1979]

Are my tax dollars going to persecute this lady? Shame on Harper and his minions. Nothing will be done until Harper sees more votes in doing something than in maintaining the status quo. A singular lack of class and ethics.

[William Ashley]

A lawsuit would only bring more attention. Advertising can be expensive.

-----

If it is used as a parody it would be 100% legal.

A conservative logo on a campaign against a cancer causing chemical is clearly a parody. So they'd would probably loose and bring more attention to it. Hence add irony to the situation also, in that their moves against the against cancer causing campaign might help the campaign, thus provide rationality to the logo being on the campaign. Weird.

Although I should say I do think it should be exportable. I really think ethically the government should only allow export to countries that recognize the risks and have established safety laws to remove lawsuit liability on the source. Much like cancer causing cigarette companies were sued Canadian Companies could be sued for willful negligence if the product is known to be a health risk, in or out of Canada. Days, months, years, or decades from now.

Edited August 15, 2011 by William Ashley

[Wild Bill]

Are my tax dollars going to persecute this lady? Shame on Harper and his minions. Nothing will be done until Harper sees more votes in doing something than in maintaining the status quo. A singular lack of class and ethics.

Who says Harper even knows about it? Any party leader is so busy that there's no way he takes personal care of every single thing that is going on, even a control freak like Harper. A PM experiences this even more so!

No, the fault likely lies with the "minions". Odds are they are young University students long on party "rah-rah" and short on perspective. Technically, it may be an illegal breach of copyright. So What? A "wet behind the ears" university intern might be so literal minded but this is a political incident. What's legal is irrelevant. What counts is the optics to the voters. An experienced politician would never be so dumb as to have let things go this far.

No, it's far more likely that the "minions" acted on their own and now the situation has escalated to the point where a more senior party member is going to have to step in and do some damage control.

I don't 100% blame the "minion" or "minions". When you have inexperienced help you are supposed to keep an eye on them to make sure things like this DON'T happen!

Most likely, we can chalk this up to "summer". The "managers" are out kissing hands and shaking babies on the barbeque circuit and they all forget to check in with the "kids" minding the store once in a while. It happens to everybody once in a while. It's part of being human.

Watch for the opposition parties to let this one die fairly quickly. You see, the real reason we keep exporting asbestos is because it is a big industry providing a lot of jobs in Quebec! Only a political idiot would do anything to challenge that! So the Libs and the NDP will try to score some quick points off the Tories but they won't demand any real action, for fear of losing some Quebec votes.

[Oleg Bach]

Are my tax dollars going to persecute this lady? Shame on Harper and his minions. Nothing will be done until Harper sees more votes in doing something than in maintaining the status quo. A singular lack of class and ethics.

The term "minion" means Satan's favorite little princes. Harper is not Satan nor are his assocciates little demonic monsters....they are just a bunch of guys attempting to maintain the status quo that most of us are not part of.

[cybercoma]

Are my tax dollars going to persecute this lady? Shame on Harper and his minions. Nothing will be done until Harper sees more votes in doing something than in maintaining the status quo. A singular lack of class and ethics.

I wonder if that journalist over at Sun News that trashed that dancer is going to hold the Tories accountable for those tax dollars?

[cybercoma]

I'm surprised the CPC hasn't trademarked Stephen Harper's image and likeness. This way opposition parties wouldn't be able to use any pictures, video or sound clips of him. They could even trademark his name, so they can't say it in their ads.

[TimG]

1) I don't see any sign that tax payer dollars are being spent defending a party's trademark. The funds should be coming from the party.

2) For all of the whining and sniviling that goes on people forget that the reason the CPC defends the stuff is because there are a bunch of people in Quebec who's jobs depend on it. Most politicians want to protect jobs when they can.

3) Any worker who is worried about the risk can simply quit their job. They can't seriously argue that they would be better off if the government banned the stuff entirely because a government ban simply means they lose their job anyway.

Edited August 15, 2011 by TimG

[Battletoads]

Who says Harper even knows about it? Any party leader is so busy that there's no way he takes personal care of every single thing that is going on, even a control freak like Harper. A PM experiences this even more so!

Typical Harper-Con, passing the buck.

It's sad to think we'll be stuck with this coward for a few years.

[Wild Bill]

Typical Harper-Con, passing the buck.

It's sad to think we'll be stuck with this coward for a few years.

What's your definition of a Harper Con? Anyone who disagrees with you?

Shove it where the sun don't shine! You're wrong about me and have no right to be so insulting!

I simply pointed out a likely explanation as to how this event occurred. Similar things can and have happened with other parties. It's just human nature.

If you don't like Harper that's one thing. If you think your dislike for Harper changes reality then you've got a screw loose!

For the billionth time, I'm not a Conservative. For just as often, I only vote for Harper because I find the other choices stink more!

You seem to have a digital nose. It's either/or! Your choice is good so any others must be evil. The other guys do only wrong all the time and your choice is perfect!

I can see ANY politician's failings and I have many times defended the NDP and the Liberals on issues. I will admit that I've done that more with the NDP but that's only because since Chretien the Liberals have been so flippin' inept as to make them hard to defend!

You seem to be just another guy who might make a great defense attorney but could NEVER be a judge!

[BubberMiley]

No, it's far more likely that the "minions" acted on their own and now the situation has escalated to the point where a more senior party member is going to have to step in and do some damage control.

Wrong. CPC executives said they made no mistake and will do it anytime the masses dare invoke their image to criticize them.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/tories-say-threatening-note-to-asbestos-widow-was-standard-legal-procedure.html

Edited August 16, 2011 by BubberMiley

[Wild Bill]

Wrong. CPC executives said they made no mistake and will do it anytime the masses dare invoke their image to criticize them.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/tories-say-threatening-note-to-asbestos-widow-was-standard-legal-procedure.html

Of course they said that! Saying it wasn't a deliberate action sounds better!

From your cite:

We send out a letter any time someone uses our logo without permission," party spokesman Fred DeLorey said in an email Monday.

"It is a step we are required to take whenever we discover there is an unauthorized use of our logo.

"We have nothing further to add to this."

This is damage control, nothing more. They are trying to make it look like it had nothing to do with the asbestos issue or the lady herself. It was just an "automatic" action that they have are "required to do" for legal reasons.

So they minimize the issue and do the same for their reaction. Now, if the other parties will leave it alone for fear of offending Quebecers over possibly losing some jobs the CPC will be off the hook!

You just have to read between the lines and remember who we are dealing with.

It still stinks, of course but remember we are dealing with politicians here. NONE of them would have told the truth and said that they never should have sent a legal letter! Yet surely no experienced politician would have been THAT stupid! Well, maybe Dion might have been.

Anyhow, obviously the Tories are trying to fluff it off. Might work, might not. Being politicians, this is the only way they know how to try!

[Battletoads]

What's your definition of a Harper Con? Anyone who disagrees with you?

Someone who supports the Harper Conservatives.

Shove it where the sun don't shine! You're wrong about me and have no right to be so insulting!

When you claim that the party's executive director is a some low level, young, collage student, minion, I do.

I simply pointed out a likely explanation as to how this event occurred. Similar things can and have happened with other parties. It's just human nature.

Seems to me you posted an explanation that put the cons in the best light possible, despite the facts being present.

If you don't like Harper that's one thing. If you think your dislike for Harper changes reality then you've got a screw loose!

I don't see how it has...

[Wild Bill]

Seems to me you posted an explanation that put the cons in the best light possible, despite the facts being present.

That's your story. Judging by your posts, to you anything about the Tories MUST be bad! Anything about the Opposition MUST be good!

As I said, I support the Tories ONLY because I think the others are worse! There are many things about the CPC I don't like. After all, I was a Reformer and now it appears the tiny rump of the PCs has taken control of the merged party. There is NOTHING left of Reform party planks and principles in the new CPC! You should remember that MILLIONS of us bailed on the old PC Party!

I seriously wonder why Manning ever bothered! Harper and his minions have driven a stake through his dream.

Whatever, we have to work with what we've got, which is parties made up of imperfect human beings. The Tories at least want to rebuild our military and (hopefully) reduce our tax load. The Liberals have never met a bribe they didn't like. The NDP have noble goals yet never, ever have a clue of a PRACTICAL idea of how to accomplish them! If the Libs and Tories are debating about a nuclear threat from a third world country the NDP would want to change the venue to discuss bike lanes!

Anyhow, I guess we don't even have to read your threads! If it's a Tory involved you're gonna say he's evil. If it's an Opposition guy you're gonna say he's a saint.

It will save time, I guess!

Edited August 16, 2011 by Wild Bill

[Topaz]

Are the Tories fight more over the logo or over the asbestos issue? The logo issue is nothing compared to the asbestos and people all over the world are dying because of asbestos. The Tories say IF handled right its safe, but the sailors on those ships, did they handle the asbestos, I think not. Today, on any DYI programs, they tells you to get the experts because handling it at ALL is dangerous and so we see people in the Third World throwing it up in the air! Canada gets a black mark against itself by NOT putting warning signs on this product and all for the BIG BUCKS!!

[TimG]

The Tories say IF handled right its safe, but the sailors on those ships, did they handle the asbestos, I think not.

So your answer is to ban asbestos and put those workers on the street? What do you think those workers will think of that option?

[cybercoma]

Tim, you've got to be kidding. Why don't you petition the government to get rid of the ban on asbestos in Canada. Then there will be even more jobs in the mines.

Some things are more important than jobs. Proliferating highly cancerous banned materials in developing countries without warning labels about the risks is not only dangerous, it's completely immoral.

[TimG]

Some things are more important than jobs. Proliferating highly cancerous banned materials in developing countries without warning labels about the risks is not only dangerous, it's completely immoral.

You seem to forget that this entire issue exists because a couple ridings in Quebec depend on the jobs in these mines (e.g. the status quo is what is important). You can rant and rave as much as your want but nothing will happen unless politicans can find alternatives for those workers.

[cybercoma]

I don't see how it's the politicians' responsibility to find them jobs nor do I see how putting warning labels on the product would close down the mines in the first place.

[TimG]

I don't see how it's the politicians' responsibility to find them jobs nor do I see how putting warning labels on the product would close down the mines in the first place.

Warning labels is not why this issue is in the news. From the op:

A growing chorus of health experts, and people like Ms. Keyserlingk, want to see the industry shuttered for good.

Politicians are not going to do anything with this file as long as there are no alternatives for those workers. Edited August 16, 2011 by TimG