According to the New York Times (registration required), the pop band Postal Service has settled its trademark dispute with the United States Postal Service:
Future copies of the album and the group’s follow-up work will have a notice about the trademark, while the federal Postal Service will sell the band’s CD’s on its Web site, potentially earning a profit. The band may do some television commercials for the post office. The group also agreed to perform at the postmaster general’s annual National Executive Conference in Washington on Nov. 17.
This has got to be unprecedented as far as intelectual property settlements go. Very strange. And yet pretty cool, too. I’m impressed with the lawyers who were able to think outside-the-box to come up with a creative solution.
001 // Brian Ford // 11.16.2004 // 9:10 AM
I read about this last week and also thought it was a refreshing change of pace. One wishes that Apple computer and Apple records could play nice as well. (I’d be all over some Beatles singles if they were on iTunes.)
The Postal Service is a pretty decent band, very light and poppy. Exactly the sort of thing that is good to listen to at work, but probably not the best for a long road trip.