A thought on the stealing of trademarks, copyrights or labels by foreign corporations for profit.
For the longest time I had issues with this. I am a member of a music writers and composers union. This union seeks to protect our compositions and performances. They make sure we get paid for our work. In fact they work so well, they make sure that I get about 15 to 16 checks a year, each for about 75 cents. I only have one composition that I wrote quite some time ago, and it is rarely used. But hey, 11.50 is not something I want to turn my nose up to.
However, right now in China (one of the larger culprits) and other countries, there are companies taking protected materials (music, books, Ray-ban sunglasses, or even my own .75 cent composition), reproducing them and selling them for profit without so much as one penny making it back to the creator. This used to bug me; the nefarious nature of these corporations with their blatant theft. How could their governments who are all members of the same trade organizations the U.S. is allow this? Simple… The U.S. does it too.
You see there are other folks, in other countries that work very hard on their trademark, label, etc and they spend generations building on their brand. What do we do in the U.S.? We steal it of course. This is by design of our own country’s corporate greed. I could go on for hours on our own theft of other country’s products, but I’ll try do keep it to a short list to give you an idea.
Champagne: Have you ever had a glass? Maybe… Have you ever had a glass made in accordance with the Comité Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne regulations? Maybe not. You see, here in the U.S. it is perfect legal for a producer to take some white grape juice, ferment it in a beer cooler, add some CO2 and boom, you can label it “Champagne”. Most of us know that “Champagne” can only come from the Champagne region of France, and bottled under centuries old regulations. That does not stop any domestic producer her in the US slapping a “Champagne” label on any old swill they wish. If you sell NY or CA “Champagne” almost anywhere else in the world and you go to jail. You sell it here in the U.S. and you make a profit.
Tawny port: Ever have a glass? Again, maybe you have. Buy it in Europe, and you know for an absolute fact that it comes from Portugal. You would also know beyond any doubt that it was made under strict quality rules that have been in place for hundreds of years. Buy it in the U.S. and it could be made from prune husks for all you know. But, by U.S. law it is not only legal, but specifically protected by our law.
Parmigiano-Reggiano: Ever shake some of this out of a can onto your pasta dinner? No you have not. You see honest and true Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese has been produced in the neighboring towns of Parma and Reggio Emilia for over 700 years under very strict regulations. If you buy the real thing you are guaranteed to have the finest of cheeses in all the land. This cheese is so valuable that they brand every wheel (which is of exacting measurements) with holograms and engravings to protect it. But here in the U.S. (again protected by our laws) you can sun-dry some cheese like product and call it whatever you want.
Kobe Beef: Odds are, you have NEVER EVER had it. Unless you have been to Japan, and dropped an entire paycheck on your entrée, you have never had Kobe beef. This one was an eye opener for me. I love beef. Last year, for a celebration dinner, I took my employees out to dinner. Company was buying, and the boss insisted that the 3 of us max out the company card. So we did our best. Dinner was going to be epic. We all got hotel rooms so no one had to drive. I saw Kobe on the menu. My white rhino, unicorn, and Holy Grail all in one. The supposed best beef on the planet. I had heard epic tales of how these beautiful animals are treated. The best, most expensive organic grass feed, daily massages and the occasional beer. The strict care and stress free life of these critters is beyond compare and reflects understandably in the price (as it should) of the beef. On the menu my entrée was $65. It was awesome. I enjoyed it. Only problem is that it was not Kobe beef. Not in the slightest. At the time ALL beef from Japan was prohibited from import to the U.S. WHAT? I just ordered it off them menu. As it turns out there are no regulation in place to protect the Japanese trademarks on the Kobe brand here in the U.S. I could skin my cat, toss him on the grill and call him Kobe.
The one thing all of these have in common is that they are a creation or brand of regional products that people, or generations of people have worked very hard towards building the world’s most superior product. All of the above are at the top of their game. However here in the U.S. we steal them and strip them down for profit. It’s like putting a Cadillac logo on a Yugo (am I dating myself?).
In my compositions, I can say that I have spent years writing, composing and performing my music. I have poured my heart and soul into my creations. Hours upon hours have been spent in my basement going over the same 5 seconds of music in a vain attempt to fix or improve a piece. My co-writer and I have sent in our copyright applications covered in blood, sweat, tears and coffee stains. And I know right now, some of our work is being reproduced and distributed for the equivalent of $11.50 in some foreign country and we will never see one red cent.
I could give a shit.
Right now, here in the U.S. and specifically protected by our law, we are stealing generations of hard work. I cannot complain, as we are doing exactly what I have a problem with. In 1891 the “Treaty of Madrid” was signed by every single major power in the world at the time. It protects regional products and their regulations. The U.S. of course has never signed. The treaty has been revised quite a few times, however each time the U.S. has failed to sign it. We protect our own, but f%#k everyone else. If I grow peaches on my farm and try to sell them as “Georgia Peaches” I go to jail. If I grow an orange and call it a “Florida Orange” I go to jail. But if I grow grapes, ferment them and call them: Burgundy, Rhone, Chablis, Chianti, Port, Madeira, Sherry or Tokay I go to the bank.
Until this shit stops, I have no leg to stand on to demand any compensation for our work. Here in the U.S. we have Hollywood, Nashville, Silicon Valley, ect… You steal our music, movies or technology and we’ll climb up your ass with a war hammer, but please do look the other way when we steal your stuff. M’kay?
