Ovi copycats
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…hmmm.
Ovi magazine is so popular that Jone Nikula (former Finnish Idols judge) is using the same name on his forthcoming new free magazine.
In addition, we have been presenting a weekly radio show under the name ‘Ovi Bad Boys’ for nearly four months. The show name is announced every week in the Helsinki Sanomat radio programme section and we talk about Ovi magazine, interview guests and promote events for the foreign community.
After all the expense and effort they have done and will do, they will find that they are coming second and advertising another magazine that might not be their style! From our side, the only thing we have to do is remind them that there are European laws protecting copycats and fourteen months of successful history gives us a good advantage.
We will be sending this mail to all the media (including Ovi magazine network of blogs, forums and sites) nationally and internationally to ensure that people know that this free magazine has nothing to do with us.
If Jone Nikula or anybody connected with this Ovi impostor wishes to contact the original Ovi, please email info@theovimagazine.com
Open the original
http://www.ovimag.com
We cover every issue!
Source: Ovi Magazine
June 3rd, 2006 at 6:21 pm
I think we should wait on judging them because the word ovi is a very common finnish word that will be used for many things in future.
I don’t know what their magazine will be about but I am very sure it is no competence for our ovimagazine, since every magazine has it’s style and originality.
Other thing you should consider.. It is GOOD what is happening! You know why? Look…
On Ovi stats there are MANY people typing in Ovi in searchengines because maybe they are to lazy to write the whole adress into the browser’s url bar, and maybe they just forgot our adress
My point here is, that if the “new ovi” magazine will publish it’s paper almost everywhere in Finland, many will do the same and search for OVI in searchengines..
Now we are under first 5 out of 6,7 million websites on google when searching ovi and same on yahoo on over 1,4 million.
So people WILL be aware there are TWO Ovi Magazines and they will enjoy BOTH of them since no one is charging anything to read it.
THIS IS A RACE ON QUALITY!
No matter what” The word OVI will spread in Finland quicker than fire as soon as they publish their magazine and we will have our profit from their publication.
Ready, Steady…Go!
June 4th, 2006 at 9:04 am
It is ethics first of all. You don’t want to stand the future of any magazine on a copycat. If I put water in a plastic bottle and then I write with a red pen coca cola and start selling it, would that be all right?
This new magazine supposedly to be a free magazine, well is not a free magazine because they are going to put adverts, that means companies will advertise. Do you think these companies will put their ads in a copycat? Would you?
Quality is always something very personal, tabloids are successful and they don’t necessary offer quality, they offer boobs. Do you want to be connected with something like that? The man became famous for doing the judge in ‘idols’, what respect you think he has?
Somehow with the whole thing we are doing we don’t just protecting our name but them as well because that’s another thing, they are going to invest serious money probably to advertise us. As you said people will go to internet and find us in the end. So somehow they are screwed before they start and that’s one thing we try to tell them.
But coming back to the first thing I said: If I put water in a plastic bottle and then I write with a red pen coca cola and start selling it, would that be all right?
June 4th, 2006 at 7:57 pm
The word NIKE in greek means victory and is written just like that, the magazine is called TIME or ECONOMIST these are every day words, have you seen another magazine called TIME? I think that answers about Ovi.
Ovi magazine is global, right and what’s next? Every bloody person has the right to make an Ovi magazine? would you like that happened in your place or better another providing company called ovi in the same area? Of course quality will show the difference but till then you will have to go all the way again.
As far sixdegrees, they’ve been worrying enough thinking that that ovi might be really us!!!
And we have nothing to do with 6d, we never had a fight with them, or better with the owner and his ….ideas or no ideas about democrasy, prejudice etc!!! they had a problem with us and i think is over.
We have nothing against the idol’s man either, actually we are trying to protect them from an expense in vain!!!!
Thanos
June 14th, 2006 at 10:00 am
Ovi is a finnish word for a door. So no copycating or -pasteing here, I’d suppose.
June 14th, 2006 at 11:54 am
I don’t understand?
Ovi was a symbol for our ‘door’ into Finland, which is why we chose it and it is an original name as magazines go.
June 15th, 2006 at 9:45 am
This sounds so pathetic to copy the name of one magazine for another. I wish the law stops them from doing so. Well Ovi may be a generic word in Finnish but when there is one OVI magazine then there can’t be any other OVI magazine.
Can there be another Helsingin Sanomat ? I guess that’s a generic name as well.
I wish the publishers of this new magazine work towards collective, cordial intellecutal atmosphere in Finland and not vitiate the existing one.
Regards,
Satya
June 15th, 2006 at 10:11 am
Thanks for your words, Satya.
These are our thoughts exactly.
June 17th, 2006 at 11:58 am
Yeah, people who defend the copycat don’t seem to get the point. The fact that ovi means door in Finnish and is thus a common word has nothing to do with this. The fact is that there already is a magazine called Ovi (this one), so anyone who starts a new magazine with the same name is obviously a copycat.
If they didn’t know about Ovi Magazine, the least they should do is contacting Asa and Thanos now and discuss the issue. The right thing to do would be to ask if they could still use the name or at least change it a bit, so that they would not look like lazy copycats. After all, mistakes are made - it’s how you handle them that counts.
From a purely legal standpoint the issue might be a bit tricky as the most secure way to get exclusive rights to a name is to register it at the National Board of Patents and Registration (Patentti- ja rekisterihallitus, PRH). This is a bit dodgy, as Ovi Magazine probably isn’t registered, but I don’t know if the new Ovi is either…
It would probably be a good idea to try to find someone who knows about these kinds of issues and could help you to find out what legal grounds you might have to the Ovi name. After all, you were first and the brand is probably pretty well established among your listeners and readers. The fact that its not known to the general public and that the magazine apparently (?) doesn’t have a ISBN number or other form of visibility in public records might be a problem. An expert in the matter could probably tell you where you stand in all of this very quickly.
PRH’s Trademarks in a nutshell page at http://www.prh.fi/en/tavaramerkit/tavaramerkkilyhyesti.html has more information about the logics of trademarks:
“What are the requirements for registration? Firstly, the trademark must be distinctive: it cannot describe the goods or services for which it is applied. For example, the Apple mark for computers is an excellent and distinctive mark, but the Apple mark for apples or apple tartlets cannot be registered because it describes the kind or quality of the products. The idea behind this requirement of distinctive character is that the exclusive right cannot be given to descriptive words or terms used in a particular field, because it would unreasonably limit the freedom of expression of other traders in the field.
Secondly, the trademark must not be liable to be confused with any previous trademarks or company names of others. Other obstacles to registration. It is advisable to make sure that no identical or similar marks or names have been registered at the Trademark Register or Trade Register. This should be done already when you design the trademark or before you file an application for registration at the latest. Confusing similarity means that the marks are identical or similar and cover the same goods and services. For instance, the Eskimo trademark has been registered for ice cream in class 30 and also for clothing in class 25, because the goods covered by the registrations are completely different from each other.”
Aside from all that legal mumbo jumbo, the point is that Nikula and the gang should simply negatiate with the original Ovi or change the name of their magazine before its released. That would be the most honest way to proceed. Let’s hope that they do so - or at least respond to you if you try to contact them!
June 17th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
Wow! Thanks for that great response and the legal mumbo jumbo!
June 17th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
Thank you very much.