Out-trademarked.

So I receive a convo on Etsy today that reads like this:

Hello,

I stumbled across your beautiful fingerless gloves today, I am not sure if you are aware but the name Wristies is trademarked. You must use a different word to describe your product, please avoid litigation and change the name immediately on all website and printed references. If you have any questions about the trademarked word Wristies® please contact me at any time.

Katie Martin
katie@wristies.com
800.811.8290

What?  When I was trying to think of a name for the darn things I googled every possible option and settled on the name (which I will not use because it is banned).  Frankly I thought it was a lame name, but other describing words seemed to already be used.

I googled it just a little while ago, after receiving above convo and it appears that their website and I'm assuming their name was trademarked in 2013.  Wow, I definitely had the name/product last year, when I googled it and came up with nothing in my search.

So one of two things happened.  Either they found the name on my product, searched for a patent and realized that I am not so anal as to have applied for one or they already had the name in mind, trademarked it and then proceeded to attack me when if they had done any research, they would see that online I have sold all of a few pairs.

While I have spent so much energy in the past 4 years sewing things that are pretty, have function for me and that many other people have come to enjoy, it's such a small-scale operation in the big retail world that if they feel the need to bully a small fish like me...HAVE AT IT!

Anyhow.  Maybe this is a good time to announce that my Etsy days are coming to a slow conclusion.  I do still have quite a bit in my shop and my slow decline in production started after the Holidays this past year.  I may continue to make guitar straps, maybe not.  Either way – this little minnow is ready to find a new and exciting pond.