How would you feel if your brand, what you're known by, was ordered to be changed?
Your skillfully designed logo deemed illegal ? 
Six big box companies say no more! They're headed to court to challenge it and they include:
Wal-Mart, Costco, Best Buy, Gap, Old Navy and Guess.
According to Section 63 of Quebec’s French Language Charter, the name of a business must be in French. Should it apply to trademarked names?
Nathalie St-Pierre, vice-president for the Retail Council of Canada’s Quebec branch says the province wants to change the rules without having modified the law . . .
“You know the brand, you know the colours, you know the sign,” Ms. St-Pierre said of the famous company logos.
“That’s the work that’s done behind setting up a trademark and there are brands that stand on their own and need no description.”
Some companies have voluntarily changed their signs.
After a series of fire-bombings, Second Cup coffee shops added the words “les cafés” to their signs. (In 2001, Rhéal Mathieu, a member of Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) who in 1967 was sentenced to nine years in prison for terrorist activities including murder, was convicted of firebombing three Second Cup locations.)
Starbucks in Quebec is known as Café Starbucks Coffee.
And KFC is “PFK” in Quebec. I've been all around the world and KFC is perfectly acceptable elsewhere!
So what say you?
Is this something that makes sense or does it seem petty? Are the big box stores correct in their challenge?
In Ontario, especially the Gananoque, Kingston and 1000 Islands region, this is not a worry. We're eager for new business and new business people. We welcome you, regardless of the language you choose to speak: Canada is a bilingual nation but accepting of all others too!
If you're heading back across the border to Ontario, please give me a call and let me introduce you to the warmth and hospitality of our region. I'm Susan Emo, and I speak your language; the language of good service and market expertise. My only rule is the Golden Rule!! Let me become your favourite Realtor today!
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