The Death of “Teflon Ron”
Many of you know (such as the friends tagged on the note) there was a time when “Mr. Glitterati” didn’t exist. A time when the easiest way to find me would have been to drop “Teflon” into any search engine. A day when my moniker was “Teflon Ron”. I thought I would finally drop the skinny on what happened.
“Teflon Ron” was born August of 1999 and was used for nearly a decade prior to, after increasing popularity, DuPont required my name change forever.
Who is DuPont? DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation. [http://www.dupont.com/; NYSE:DD]
Check out the email correspondence below, an interesting read…
From: Brand Protection [mailto:XXXXXXXXXX@usa.dupont.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 11:25 AM
To: Ron.Jones@Teflon-Ron.com; Info@Teflon-Ron.com
Subject: Second Notice of Trademark Infringement: teflon-ron.com
To Whom it may concern (teflon-ron.com):
On checking your file we note that you have not responded to our letter of November 27, 2007.
As you may be aware, DuPont is the owner of the TEFLON® trademark and owns trademark registrations in the United States and in many countries throughout the world. As such, DuPont is the rightful owner of the trademark rights over the TEFLON® brand.
It has recently come to our attention that your company is using the Teflon® brand on the website (teflon-ron.com) and in literature, without authorization from DuPont. Use of the Teflon® trademark is restricted to companies who have been granted a trademark license from DuPont to do so. Our records indicate that your company does not purchase raw material directly from DuPont and is not licensed. If this information is incorrect please let us know.
As a result, we ask your company to immediately discontinue all use of the Teflon® trademark. This includes removing the trademark from all material including, but not limited to, labeling, advertising, packaging, promotional material, websites (metatags, visual and hidden text), domain names, URL’s and product literature.
We appreciate your cooperation in this matter and look forward to receiving, by Wednesday, April 16, 2008, the signed representation letter attached below, indicating compliance to this request and the date by which the trademark will be removed from all materials listed above. We reserve all rights (including legal recourse) in the unlikely event that we are unable to resolve this matter with you.
Sincerely,
DuPont Brand Protection Center
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