..recent events have been sweeping the world of sustainability in and around the west coast lately and it's inspired me to FINALLY write a blog on my site. Some friends of mine (not good friends but kind people in my experience) decided that they wanted to protect their investment of years of work and put in process a trademark for many terms including 'urban homestead' and 'urban homesteading'. These people, the Dervaes family, have been doing urban homesteading for years and have received a lot of fame and fortune as a result of their efforts. I've been to their place in Pasadena, brought high school students there, and a permaculture course there. They haven't been open for tours for years though once they started getting lots of attention - I imagine they were busy!
Their recent actions of sending polite letters to people who are using the terms 'urban homesteading' and 'urban homestead' asking them to stop using these terms is right out of the twilight zone. These letters had facebook pages removed (fb was concerned that anyone using these terms was in danger of violating the Dervaes trademark), and a whole host of other repercussions for the many fine people who use these terms to describe what they do.
I've used those terms a multitude of times to describe building soil, growing food, conserving water, seeking alternate sources of energy, raising livestock (for soil building, scrap eating, or food uses), and a host of other activities that bring a farmer mentality to city life.
For anyone to trademark or claim ownership of these terms is a joke. What's not a joke are those that have been harmed by these actions. There is a huge amount of information on facebook in support of organizations and entities who now have to grapple with finding lawyers to navigate trademark law so that they can freely sell their books, use their website, and advertise their services using these terms.
I'm happy to be part of this movement or urban homesteading and happy that these concepts have been catapulted into the limelight because of how much the press likes a cat fight. I hope that good common (commons! ) sense prevails and the Dervaes back down from the notion that they have any right to ownership of these terms. I hope that the people who have vilified them appreciate all the years of hard work that have gone into their 'Little Homestead in the City' and the thousands of people who have been inspired by their message. I hope that the idea of being more resourceful, practical, diy, and long range in thought, word and deed get planted into the hearts and minds of the common public because of the extra media generated by all this.
I recently gave a workshop to some very inspiring people in Lincoln Heights (www.hm157.com) and it made me keenly aware of how important this knowledge is. I won't let any silly notion of trademark stop me from being an urban homesteader or teaching others how to create their own urban homesteads! I'm happy to be part of this Homegrown Revolution Evolution! and not afraid of the law (mostly).
Thanks for reading..
mamabotanica's blog>
Their recent actions of sending polite letters to people who are using the terms 'urban homesteading' and 'urban homestead' asking them to stop using these terms is right out of the twilight zone. These letters had facebook pages removed (fb was concerned that anyone using these terms was in danger of violating the Dervaes trademark), and a whole host of other repercussions for the many fine people who use these terms to describe what they do.
I've used those terms a multitude of times to describe building soil, growing food, conserving water, seeking alternate sources of energy, raising livestock (for soil building, scrap eating, or food uses), and a host of other activities that bring a farmer mentality to city life.
For anyone to trademark or claim ownership of these terms is a joke. What's not a joke are those that have been harmed by these actions. There is a huge amount of information on facebook in support of organizations and entities who now have to grapple with finding lawyers to navigate trademark law so that they can freely sell their books, use their website, and advertise their services using these terms.
I'm happy to be part of this movement or urban homesteading and happy that these concepts have been catapulted into the limelight because of how much the press likes a cat fight. I hope that good common (commons! ) sense prevails and the Dervaes back down from the notion that they have any right to ownership of these terms. I hope that the people who have vilified them appreciate all the years of hard work that have gone into their 'Little Homestead in the City' and the thousands of people who have been inspired by their message. I hope that the idea of being more resourceful, practical, diy, and long range in thought, word and deed get planted into the hearts and minds of the common public because of the extra media generated by all this.
I recently gave a workshop to some very inspiring people in Lincoln Heights (www.hm157.com) and it made me keenly aware of how important this knowledge is. I won't let any silly notion of trademark stop me from being an urban homesteader or teaching others how to create their own urban homesteads! I'm happy to be part of this Homegrown Revolution Evolution! and not afraid of the law (mostly).
Thanks for reading..
No comments:
Post a Comment
By all means, Please...