Trademarks 101

Apparently it's time for a brief legal lesson.  I am sure most of you know what a trademark is, or have at least heard of that word before.  Same thing for copyrights and patents.  All three of those terms comprise what's known as IP (intellectual property) law. 

Trademarks are words, images, slogans and other indicators that help identify a brand.  You encounter trademarks hundreds, if not thousands, of times a day.  Starbucks, Apple, Target and McDonalds are just a few companies that have very distinct trademarks.  I would bet that as you read those different company names, you could envision the images used to represent the different brands (ie - their trademarks).

Well, Life Behind Bars also owns several trademarks.  Many of you might not realize this, but Life Behind Bars is actually a company.  A limited liability company (LLC) to be exact.  But, the point I am getting at here is that it's more than just a group you participate in.  The Parole Board owns and operates LBB and we have put a lot of time, money and creativity into growing the brand.  Part of that process has been creating and using very distinct marks for our company.

The INMATE logo and the Life Behind Bars logo are the two trademarks used most by LBB and probably the most recognizable by our members.  As such, we have created a lot of various types of contraband (merchandise) with those marks on them.  Shirts, hoodies, boyshorts, stickers and the most popular items, our INMATE shanks (bar keys/bottle openers/church keys).  And, as you might know, we have designed a new bar key, with the INMATE logo, that we will be selling very soon.

Which brings me to the point of this post.  The Parole Board has seen several people commenting about making their own LBB merchandise.  Some have offered to make bar keys while others said they are designing apparel.  Regardless of the item itself, one important thing must be addressed.  No one has the authority or legal permission to create, sell, design or otherwise use LBB trademarks without the express, written consent of The Parole Board. 

To some, this might seem like we are being too strict or unreasonable.  But, this is no different than any other company trying to protect their intellectual property.  Michael Kors, Prada and Ray Ban don't take kindly to others using their logos without permission. When others use your trademarks without permission, it waters down your brand.  If an unauthorized person creates a product with your company's logo on it, and if that product is sub par or does not meet certain standards, then it is a reflection on your company and thus, impacts the business you have worked so hard to create. 

That being said, we also understand that many of the INMATES are very creative and artistic people.  We are always looking for new ideas.  If you have an idea or an opportunity that you'd like to discuss, then talk to us.  Any one of The Parole Board would be more than happy to set up a meeting with you and hear what you have to say.  In fact, we've done this with several INMATES over the past few years.  You can reach us at info@lbbinmate.com.

So, in summation, we hope that you understand why we regulate the use of LBB trademarks.  Our plan is to expand LBB globally and through doing so, we are going to continue giving back to the service industry.  We have many great ideas that we working hard on implementing.  When this happens, all of you are going to reap the benefits.  Thank you for your time.

SERVICE INDUSTRY UNITE!