Big Trouble Brews Over Caffeine Calendar

Santa Rosa, CA—(March, 2005)—Caffeine Awareness Month? Trademarked? Why bother?

It started out as light-hearted fun in an erstwhile, all-too-serious world. aadezyn.com, the website of the brand design firm Armstrong Associates, features a series of fun-filled calendars that celebrate “wacky holidays.” The calendars have developed a cult-like following with fans of pop culture.

But evidently Armstrong Associates, also known for serving guests a great cup of joe, went one-cup-over-the-line with their March calendar, titled: National Caffeine Awareness Month®.

Unfortunately, for creatives at Armstrong Associates, that name is a registered service mark of a soy-based coffee substitute company. Marina Kushner, president of SoyCoffee LLC, demanded Armstrong Associates cease and desist unauthorized use of the trademarked name on the March calendar.

Realizing that intellectual property is the design firm’s bread and butter, they did what any creative group would do for inspiration — brew a fresh pot and brainstorm!

You can still celebrate the joy of caffeine (regardless what the nay sayers say) with the new Caffeine Achievers Month calendar. The new and old, censored calendar can be downloaded at aadezyn.com.