Key Facts
- Fans (particularly roller coaster enthusiasts!) launch websites celebrating the company's attractions.
- Often such sites include copies of photos and videos that are copyright protected, and company logos that are protected trademarks.
- Mintz has carefully, respectfully, and successfully helped the company ensure legal compliance by fan sites without dampening their enthusiasm.
The Situation
Cedar Fair is the #1 roller coaster operator in the world. Roller coasters attract seriously enthusiastic fans, some of whom create websites to show their loyalty for and love of Cedar Fair parks, share their adventures, and highlight their favorite rides.
Unfortunately, this often results in the unauthorized and infringing use of Cedar Fair’s trademarks and copyrights, since many of these websites include photos and videos from the parks and Cedar Fair websites, as well as logos of the amusement parks and rides.
The Approach
The Mintz team has developed over the course of many years a successful approach carefully designed to protect the client’s interests while not alienating fans or dampening their enthusiasm. It’s a delicate balance, requiring experience and tact.
The company takes great pride in its fans sharing their experiences and expressing the joy and the thrills they find spending time at its various parks. However, it is critical that it control the use of and protect its valuable intellectual property assets. There are countless examples of other brands being damaged due to the owners’ failure to protect their image through proper brand management.
The Outcome
Ultimately, the Mintz team, in collaboration with Cedar Fair’s professionals, have repeatedly been able to protect the rights of Cedar Fair. From its amusement park and attraction brands, to its exclusive rights in its copyrighted works and domain names, Cedar Fair, with the help of Mintz, has ensured that its fans not only respect its intellectual property but that they continue to have a very positive experience with the company — coming back for more adventures and to share more stories with other enthusiasts.
