Who 'owns' smiley?

[Eli]

Smiles that make them blue

Wal-Mart is battling a Frenchman for rights to the
ubiquitous smiley face symbol that's put on millions of
promotional items by America's largest corporation. The
two sides are presenting their cases before the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office, with a ruling sure to bring
a smile to one side or another, The Los Angeles Times
reported. Wal-Mart says it has officially been using what
it calls Mr. Smiley since 1996, and in more limited ways
long before that. But the company didn't move to register
the trademark until someone else threatened to do so
first, said John Simley, a Wal-Mart spokesman. Franklin
Loufrani began registering the happy face around the world
more than 30 years ago and set up a company in London,
SmileyWorld Ltd., to police its use. The man widely
credited with creating smiley, however, was the late
Harvey Ball, a Massachusetts graphic artist commissioned
by an insurer in 1963 to reduce bad blood among employees
after the company merged with a rival. For his efforts,
Ball earned little more than a song and a smile: $45.

================================

Sonrisas tristes

Wal-Mart se encuentra en un juicio con un Frances por los derechos
a las caricaturas simbolicas de 'sonrisas' que se estampan en
millones de productos promocionales utilizados por las corporaciones
Estadounidenses mas grandes. Ambos lados presentan sus racionalizacion
ante la oficina de Marcas registradas y Patentes de los EE.UU., la
decision seguramente traera una sonrisa a un lado de los litigantes,
reporta Los Angeles Times. Wal-Mart dice que oficialmente a usado a
lo que ellos llaman El Sr. Sonrisas desde 1996, en en forma limitada
desde mucho antes. Sin embargo la compañia no trato de registrar la
marca hasta que otro amenazo con hacerlo primero, dijo John Simley,
representante para la compañia. Franklin Loufrani comenzo a registrar
la sonrisa alrededor del mindo hace mas de 30 años creando una compañia
en Londres, SmileyWorld Ltd., para vigilar su uso. Sin embargo el hombre
que generalmente es aceptado como el creador del simbolo fue el difunto
Harvey Ball, un artista grafico de Massachusetts comisionado por una
agencia de seguros en 1963 para reducir los conflictos entre sus empleados
despues de que la compañia fue fusionada con su rival. Por sus esfuerzos
Ball gano poco mas que una cancion y una sonrisa: $ 45

[Art]

This is the kind of case that makes patent, copyright, & trademark law seem really evil.

----------------

Esto es la clase de pleito que hace parecer malvadas las leyes de patente, de autor, y de marca registrada.

[pepe buylla]

The owners of the smiley face prior to Walmart and after Harvey Bell, were the Spain brothers of Philadelphia. They owned a number of Hallmark greeting card stores there. They are Sephardic Jews (Spanish Jews).

[Bob]

I note that Walmart (I never shop there, by the way) has chosen a John Simley to be its spokesman. Smiley/Simley? Is there an anagram plan at work here?

[pepe buylla]

?......