PSP dates - maybe

[Wadidiz]

Just for fun (at least I think it is fun) here are some possible dates that Chuck & Co. could use to not confict with PSP or Millennium. I suggest starting the season before PSP to give teams a chance to sample what NPPL Super 7 has to offer.
________________________

February 14-16 (Valentine's Cup?) NPPL Super 7

February 19-23: Diablo Mardi Gras

March 5-9: PSP Los Angeles

March 28-30: Millennium Lisbon, Portugal

April 18-20: Millennium Max Masters, Bitburg, Germany

April 30-May 4: PSP Las Vegas

May 23-25: Millennium Amsterdam, Netherlands

June 6-8 NPPL Super 7

June 18-22: PSP Chicago

July 4-6: Millennium Toulouse, France

July 18-20 NPPL Super 7

August 1-3: Millennium Joy Masters, Stockholm, Sweden

August 20-24: PSP Atlantic City

?: International Open (can't be called amateur anymore, can it?)

September 12-14: Millennium Campaign Cup, London, England

?: Aruba

October 3-5 NPPL Super 7

October 19-26: PSP World Cup, Orlando

November 14-16 NPPL Super 7/Millennium Series World Cup
_____________________________

What would be great, albeit unlikely, would be for some magnanimous sponsors to offer significant prizes for series points accumulated in all three major series. Then there would truly be freedom of choice and a less forced openness to sample both leagues and compare. But then there's the X-ball thing that throws another monkey-wrench into the whole thing.

Steve

 

[raehl]

It is interesting to note...

That the competition between the two leagues has already spawned better services for the players, at least as far as the websites go.

As for the NPPL name, I suspect that no one owns it and it'll take a nice court fight to decide who gets to use it (or not use it).


Basically, trademark rights are established the first time you use a name in INTERSTATE COMMERCE. It has *NOTHING* to do with incorporating an organization. I could go incoporate or register "NPPL, Inc." in Wisconsin right now for a fee of $10-$50 (depending how I did it), but it wouldn't give me any trademark rights in the name (nor would anyone else's trademark rights prevent me from incorporating under that name, although it could spawn a legal fight later if I attempted to do business with it.)


The question, really, is WHO first used the NPPL name in interstate commerce. My painball history knowlege in this area is quite limitted, but were I to take a guess, it was first used by the teams who met WAAY back in the day to first create NPPL, and the trademark "belongs" to them as a group as they were the first people to use it in interstate commerce. What happened with Jerry's corporation in NY or with Chuck's corporation in CA doesn't matter.


Anyway, "NPPL" is definitely not registerred to ANYONE, and at this point, I think it would be impossible to register it (as a TRADEMARK, not a company name) without committing perjury - one of the questions on the trademark application is something along the lines of "Do you know anyone else who has a claim to this trademark?" I don't think anyone can get away with saying "No" to that question at this point.


This is one of those cases where you're going to see a lot of posts about trademark law written by people who have no clue about trademark law. I'm not a lawyer either, so take this with a grain of salt as well, but I also had to learn quite a bit about trademark law when good ol' Steve Davidson et. al. threatened to sue me over the NCPA name. (Of course, it turned out that Steve was full of it, but that's another story. He did go so far as to have his lawyer register an LLC called "National College Paintball Association, LLC" in WI though - I think he meant Collegiate but his lawyer screwed it up. That's why we're legally NCPA, Inc - we couldn't be National Collegiate Paintball Association since it was too similar to what Steve registerred. Erm, right, I digress.)


Hopefully everyone will figure a way to work this out, as watching various industry folk start to pick sides just makes it seem like in the end, with everyone's resources split, everyone is going to lose. Or maybe it's just free enterprise at work, survival of hte fittest and all. Let the market figure out who's right.



- Chris

 

[Baca Loco]

Hang on, Steve-O

Originally posted by Wadidiz
unless Chuck is playing the dirty game you're speculating about.

Not speculating, just kidding.

 

[raehl]

Correction...

According to the US Patent and Trademark Office, there is currently one live trademark record for NPPL, which belongs to Chuck's corporation. It was filed on an "intend to use" basis on March 16 of this year. You file on an "intent to use" basis when the trademark may not have been used in interstate commerce yet, but the applicant intends to do so in the near future (one or two calendar years I think - it's been a while since I read up on all this.) Note that since it was filed on March 16, it is very unlikely that the application has been granted, as this usually takes 18 months minimum under the best of circumstances.

Actually, now that I think about it, I know what's going on here.... very interesting. And no, I'm not going to elaborate.

- Chris

 

[Wadidiz]

In which case PSP's use of the NPPL name in their Web site and in their introduction of themselves on their Web site,

Welcome to the home site of Paintbal Sports Promotions, Inc, promoters of the National Professional Paintball League series of paintball events.

, makes them look pretty down and dirty, even spiteful. Unless theres a whole other thing going on here that hasn't yet seen the light of day. It seems to me some people need to take Public Relations 101.

I'm like Robbo and many others here. I'm not on any side here (not that it matters what side I'm on) but I just want a good major league paintball series that delivers quality reffing, decebt venues, reasonable facilities and value for entry fees. Can't the actors just put the bullshizit behind them and get on with competiting to do the best job?

Steve

 

[Wadidiz]

Might want to have a look at this press release from PSP:

http://www.warpig.com/paintball/articles/news/111802_pspdates.shtml

Steve

 

[Wadidiz]

Millennium has announced dates!

If Millennium's announced dates are correct then here's another possible paintball calendar:
_______________________________

February 14-16 (Valentine's Cup?) NPPL Super 7

February 19-23: Diablo Mardi Gras

March 5-9: PSP Los Angeles

March 29-31: Millennium Lisbon, Portugal (Why end Monday?)

April 19-21: Millennium Max Masters, Bitburg, Germany

April 30-May 4: PSP Las Vegas

May 30-June 1: Millennium Amsterdam, Netherlands

June 6-8 NPPL Super 7

June 18-22: PSP Chicago

July 4-6: Millennium Toulouse, France

July 18-20 NPPL Super 7

August 1-3: Millennium Joy Masters, Stockholm, Sweden

August 20-24: PSP Atlantic City

?: International Open (can't be called amateur anymore, can it?)

September 12-14: Millennium Campaign Cup, London, England

?: Aruba

October 3-5 NPPL Super 7

October 19-26: PSP World Cup, Orlando

November 14-16 NPPL Super 7/Millennium Series World Cup
_________________________

Now we're just waiting on NPPL Super 7 to announce their dates.

Steve

PS. How'z that Brother Bull?

 

[Baca Loco]

Steve-O

You're making me dizzy. Could you possibly color coordinate the next projected schedule you post so I can easily and quickly identify various competing or overlapping series events? Thanks.