Santa Cruz trademark “Surf City” lawsuit to end.
A Santa Cruz businessman has been fighting to use the name “Surf City, USA” for the past
several years. The moniker has been used for Santa Cruz for
approximately a century. In keeping with laid back Santa Cruz’s
demeanor, no one thought to trademark it. I am guessing the feeling was
it was like “windy city” or “motor city” or other monikers that are
used for quite awhile and have no particular “ownership” claimed by
anyone. While I can’t speak for the aforementioned names being
trademarked or not, the point is made.
The feud was started because a southern California city, Huntington
Beach, filed for that trademark in 2005, and since Santa Cruz was
unaware of the claim didn’t challenge it. They then informed a local
businessman who sells T shirts to tourists on Santa Cruz wharf to cease
and desist from selling the “Surf City USA” T-shirts. Noland, the gift
shop businessman fired back, essentially, buzz off. Santa Cruz has been
called “Surf City” long before Huntington Beach and long before the
name was memorialized in the Beach Boys song of the same name. They did
not have Santa Cruz in mind when they penned the song. Nevertheless,
that was only in the 60’s. To read more of the interesting history of
Santa Cruz, and Huntington Beach, California,
follow the links.
;)
;)
