APPARENTLY MANY OF YOU OUT THERE ARE TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE OR CALL HARLEY TO LET THEM KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE WAY THEY ARE TREATING SOME OF THE SHOPS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THEY MUST HAVE FELT THE PRESSURE WAS GETTING TO BE TO MUCH, OTHERWISE THEY WOULDN'T HAVE PUT THE ARTICLE ABOUT TRADEMARKS IN THEIR (WINTER 1994-1995) ENTHUSIAST. THE ARTICLE STARTED OUT WITH H-D COMPARING THEMSELVES WITH JOHN WAYNE, CLINT EASTWOOD, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, AND JAMIE LEE CURTIS. THAT WAS LIKE WHEN BILL CLINTON COMPARED HIMSELF TO JOHN KENNEDY BUT THEY WERE CLOSE WITH THE SISTER KNUCKLEBREAKER ANALOGY.

THE 2ND PARAGRAPH WANTED YOU TO THINK THAT TRADEMARK ENFORCEMENT WAS TO MUCH FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND AND THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE BEEN MISTAKENLY ACCUSING THEM OF BEING THE BULLY, BUT THEY WOULD SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT. KIND OF LIKE GERMAN BLACK THEATER.

THEY GO ON TO LIST SOME OF THEIR TRADEMARKS LIKE HOG, LOWRIDER, MOTORCLOTHES, AND THEIR LOGOS LIKE THE BAR & SHIELD, WHICH THEY TOOK FROM A RAILROAD CO. THEN THEY LET YOU KNOW THAT IT'S THEIR JOB TO POLICE THE MARKETPLACE ON WHAT IS THEIRS. H-D FEEL THAT PEOPLE SEE THEM AS THE CORPORATE GIANT STEPPING ON THE LITTLE GUY. NOW HERE'S WHERE IT HITS HOME FOR ME, WHEN THEY SAY THE LITTLE GUY COULD HAVE SAVED EVERYBODY A WHOLE LOT OF TROUBLE IF HE HAD CHECKED THE TRADEMARK LAWS BEFORE INFRINGING ON THE BIG BAD COMPANY. WELL, WHEN I STARTED THE HOG FARM ON 1969 H-D HAD NO TRADEMARK ON HOG. THEY DIDN'T GET THE MARK H.O.G. UNTIL THE MID 80'S AND HOG TILL AUGUST OF 1992 - SO WHY ARE THEY BOTHERING ME OVER MY NAME OF 26 YEARS? HEY! WOULD JOHN WAYNE TOLERATE THE BIG GUY BULLYING THE LITTLE GUY AND LETTING THEM TAKE WHAT DID NOT BELONG TO THEM?

IN THE 60'S & 70'S, H-D WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH THE NAME "HOG" IN CONJUNCTION WITH THEIR MOTORCYCLE. WHEN WE TOOK THE NAME "HOG" IT WAS USED TO DENOTE A CHOPPER WHETHER IT WAS HARLEY, INDIAN, TRIUMPH, BSA, AND EVEN HONDA CHOPPERS.

NEXT H-D WANTS YOU TO THINK THAT THEY DO IT TO PROTECT ITS NAME AND REPUTATION FROM POOR QUALITY T-SHIRTS AND CHEAP COUNTERFEIT LEATHER GOODS, UNLIKE THE HIGH GRADE OVER PRICED INDONESIA LEATHER THEY SELL, SO THE CUSTOMERS DON'T FEEL RIPPED OFF. AFTER ALL, H-D STANDS FOR RELIABILITY, DURABILITY, AND QUALITY.

TRADEMARK LAWS PREVENT CHEAPENING OF THESE MARKS UNLESS YOU HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THE RIGHT TO PUT IT ON ALMOST ANYTHING.

H-D SAY WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS THEY TAKE THE INFRINGERS TO COURT LIKE THEY'RE DOING WITH ME, BUT WHO IS INFRINGING UPON WHOM? IT WOULD SEEM TO MOST IT WAS A CUT AND DRY CASE THAT I WOULD BE GRANDFATHERED ON THE USE OF THE WORD "HOG", WHICH THE H-D MOTOR CO. WANTED NO ASSOCIATION WITH UNTIL NOW! BUT THAT WOULD LEAVE A LOOSE END IN THEIR QUEST TO LICENSE OUR NOW ACCEPTABLE HOLY HOG NAME TO OTHERS, AND MAKE THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR. THEY BRAG OF THEIR NO LOSE RECORD IN THESE ENDEAVORS BUT NEGLECT TO TELL YOU OF THE ONES THEY PUSH TO THE LIMITS WITH THE DEEP POCKETS THEORY: WHERE THE SMALL GUY GAVE UP CUZ THEY COULDN'T AFFORD TO FIGHT ANY MORE, OR SETTLED OUT OF COURT FOR PEANUTS JUST TO BE DONE WITH IT, SO THEY COULD GET BACK TO WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT TO BEGIN WITH, AND THAT WAS HELPING THE LOCAL MOTORCYCLIST.br>

THE WRITER, DON KLEMENCIC, WENT ON WITH A TONGUE - IN - CHEEK STORY ABOUT A GRANDMOTHER THAT WAS MAKING H-D POTHOLDERS AND WOULD NOT BACK OFF FROM THEIR REQUEST TO STOP. THEY PUT HER IN JAIL, AND FOLLOWED WITH THEIR FOOT IN THEIR MOUTH, BY SAYING THEY GOT THE GRAND KIDS IN THE SETTLEMENT. HEY, I'M GLAD THE H-D MOTOR CO. HAS SUCH A SENSE OF HUMOR, BUT NOT AT OUR EXPENSE.

THE WHOLE THING THEN CAME TO A HEAD MENTIONING THE WORD "HOG" AND SAYING THAT MOTORCYCLISTS ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT THE WORD "HOG" REFERS TO H-D. IT MAY TO THE NEW WAVE RIDER, BUT ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN AROUND MORE THAN 12 YEARS WILL DIFFER, AND MOST LIKELY DID TO HAVE PROMPTED THIS ARTICLE. NOW H-D WANTS TO MAKE YOU THINK THEIR INTERESTS IN PRESERVING THE LANGUAGE AND HERITAGE, (AND STOCK VALUE). WE ALL KNOW "HOG" HAS ALWAYS BEEN USED & SHARED BY THE INDEPENDENT, UNAUTHORIZED, AFTERMARKET SHOPS & RIDERS LIKE MYSELF FOR DECADES: CERTAINLY NOT THE H-D MOTOR CO. (WE'RE NOT THE ONES CONFUSED). WHO IS CAUSING CONFUSION? CERTAINLY NOT MYSELF AFTER 26 YEARS OF BEING THE HOG FARM.

COMING TO THE END THEY BRING OUT THE ANALOGY OF THE PRODUCTS SUCH AS THE ZIPPER, ASPIRIN, THERMOS, CELLOPHANE, AND ESCALATOR WHICH BECAME GENERIC TERMS AND PUBLIC DOMAIN RENDERING THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER HELPLESS TO PROTECT ITSELF. THIS IS THE REVERSE OF THE WORD "HOG" WHICH IS A GENERIC TERM THAT THEY WANT TO COVERT.

THE AUTHORIZED EDITORIAL SAID, "WHEN IT COMES TO TRADEMARK ENFORCEMENT IF YOU SNOOZE YOU LOSE". IT TOOK H-D TILL 1992 TO TRADEMARK HOG. NOW I KNOW WHO RIP VAN WINKLE WORKS FOR: THE TRADEMARK DEPT. OF H-D BY THE WAY, HOW MANY H-D DEALERSHIPS IN THE LAST 92 YEARS WERE CALLED HOG ANYTHING?