Begin forwarded message:
> From: Phil Stewart <pstewart@rrm.com>
> Date: March 15, 2005 8:28:21 AM EST
> To: TSLEvents@aol.com
> Cc: csniffen@charter.net, zgerweck@optonline.net
> Subject: Re: Course theft
>
> Ownership is a tough issue for events because it is difficult to
> ascertain exactly what is owned -- is it the name of the event, is it
> the course? Often it is the ability to get a permit. I don't believe
> there is much in the way of legal protections other than trademarking
> the name of the event. I believe that the Road Running Technical
> Committee does not convey ownership when it certifies a course. It
> makes the certificates available to anyone who uses requests.
>
> I will forward this on for comment to Carl Sniffen who covers legal
> issues for me and Jim Gerweck of the RRTC to confirm the stance of the
> RRTC. If it is ok, I may run your message and their responses as a
> short item in the newsletter.
>
> At 07:12 PM 3/14/2005, you wrote:
>
> Phil:
>
> I am a race director in the Twin Cities and long-time subscriber to
> Road Race Management. We recently discovered that an event sponsored
> by our "friends" at Running Room had "borrowed" the course for our
> August 10K/5K for their March event. We own the USATF certification,
> and have staged our event on our course every year since 1978. Clearly
> it is bad manners on their part, but do you know of any case studies
> showing if we might have any legal standing against this sort of
> course poaching? This is potentially a huge issue for those of us who
> make our livings as event directors. If someone can simply take our
> course (okay, they moved the finish line 30 feet), then we lose a big
> part of what makes our event unique. Especially since this rival event
> is always poorly managed, it could potentially cause people to confuse
> their efforts with our efforts.
>
> Any help or direction where to turn would be appreciated!
>
> Chris Fuller
> President
> The Sporting Life
> (651) 228-1986 ext. 2
> FAX (612) 605-0063
> www.TSLevents.com
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