Twister's...your original PGR Store and MORE!
www.twistersstore.com
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NEWS AND UPDATES
If one person creates something and someone else decides they want it, it doesn’t matter how badly they want it, how much or how loudly they yell it's theirs, or how much they spend to try to take it… it’s still not theirs.
That's the American Way.
========================================================================================================= Trademark Update - 6/17/10
As many of you may have heard, the proceedings have been suspended pending settlement discussions.
Trademark Update - 7/24/09
As you may have heard, the Trademark Office basically said they would not grant a Summary Judgment for either party. I had a lengthy conversation with my attorney and I’ll try to explain what this means as I understand it…bear with me, I’m certainly no legal expert.
Rachel advised us up front that the TTAB was usually reluctant to award Summary Judgments and it would be a long shot.
We decided to go ahead and file in an attempt to “fast track” an end to all of this. As she explained it, for the TTAB to award a Summary Judgment, there needs to be virtually indisputable legal case for one party or the other. It is very rare for the evidence to be indisputable, and in this case the TTAB merely decided they wanted to hear more evidence before making a decision. Regardless how others may interpret this decision, or lack of it, both sides ended up in the same position we were before filing for a Summary Judgment.
The case now goes back to more legal filings and another year or more before the final decision will be reached.
Hang in there folks, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In the mean time, keep the mission foremost in your hearts.
Thanks,
Jeff & Bonnie
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1/30/09
If you are interested in the legal issues and would like to view the Motion for Summary Judgment filed with the Trademark Office, click on the PDF link below.
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Well, the first round of depositions are over. I can't go into any detail, but I can tell you we are very encouraged by the results.
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01/08/08
To all of my PGR Brothers and Sisters:
Prior to launching this latest “get Twister” campaign, the PGR National “Leadership” removed both my and Bonnie’s access to the PGR website so that we could not read nor respond to any of the posts. This is an example of our National “leadership” and it’s policy of “transparency” at its finest.
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There are reams of background on this legal issue, but the “capsulated” version is this.
In late 2006, as PGR Executive Director, I suspected the then treasurer was embezzling PGR funds (he later reportedly confessed to taking over $30,000). With the blessing of the BoD, I hired an outside accountant to get to the bottom of it. He mustered his forces while I was out of town and staged what can only be characterized as secret coup. He initiated a smear campaign based on my ownership of Twister’s Store, which had already been operating for almost a year. His coup was successful and I resigned as Executive Director only because he personally registered the PGR domain name, controlled the PGR servers and I would not risk him shutting down the PGR website. He then filed what I believe was a fraudulent application with the Trademark Office for the ownership of the PGR name and logo I created. My trademark attorney at the time was a PGR member had already filed the majority of the paperwork regarding the trademark, but apparently had not completed the final step.
When I started the store I made it publicly known through the forums that it was a private, for-profit business that would support the PGR. I did exactly what I said I would. My wife and I paid virtually all of the expenses to fund and operate the entire organization out of the proceeds of the store and would have continued to do so in the future. Once the filing with the Trademark Office had occurred, the BoD opened the new PGR store owned by a private company reportedly owned by a close friend of Ed Mueller. The basics of the new store are exactly what has been used against me…a privately, for-profit company owning the PGR Store.
This new company claims that 100% of its profits will go to the PGR. On the surface, that sounds good, but anyone with any business acumen knows how flawed this can be. Example: If the owner of this PGR outsourcing company, decides that they want a salary of $500K, a Lear Jet, an office in Tahiti, or whatever else, these become “business expenses” and come right off the top…before they declare any profit going to the PGR.
I made several attempts over the last year and a half to resolve the issue of the store with national leadership…even to the point of offering to close Twister’s and turn the entire store over to National after selling my current inventory on hand. Contrary to what National is apparently saying now, they would never agree to any proposal or even respond to any of my offers. Instead, they simply continued and encouraged the smear campaign. Contrary to the website’s TOU, they permitted, if not encouraged, the handful of negative voices in their attacks on me while immediately deleting any positive posts members made. Additionally, when everything I had told them about the previous BoD member who had embezzled a reported $30,000 from PGR and staged the coup in an attempt to cover it up turned out to be true, they did nothing for over a year. Finally, they recently merely removed him from the BoD with no full disclosure to the membership and have attempted to hush it all up. All the while, they continued their campaign against me and still would not admit that I had previously, of my own volition, turned my financial records over to their accountant who audited the records and reported to “Snap” that I had never taken one cent of PGR money.
My attorney’s final request that the BoD withdraw their fraudulent trademark application was again met with no response from National. This left me with no alternative but to file opposition to their trademark application in order to protect my intellectual property. All of this could have been settled long ago had National entered into some kind of dialog with me. Unfortunately, due to a lack of effective leadership, it appears that now the Trademark Office will make the definitive decision.
I have repeatedly made it known that I do not want to run the entire PGR store as I did in the beginning. It’s grown too large for that. However, I do want to make sure that it’s done properly, with appropriate funding going to the PGR, quality products, fair pricing and good service. I have been approached by some fellow PGR members and plans are in the works to create a new, independent, PGR store as a source of income to fund the PGR and its missions. The initial plans are to base the new store’s donations to PGR on a percentage of the gross dollars rather than on something as unverifiable as 100% of the profit. I will assist in getting the ball rolling and in any other way I can, but will have no ownership or management position in the new store. It will be owned and operated by fellow PGR members.
Those of you who know me personally know that I have always done my best to act in the best interests of the PGR. That will not change. There are some individuals currently in leadership positions who continue to not to act in what I believe are the best interests of PGR. They appear to be making PGR decisions based on ego, greed and a lust for power. Regardless what you may hear from anyone, I will not do anything to intentionally harm the PGR. I have the utmost respect for the PGR and my fellow members and will not idly stand by and allow the actions of these individuals to continue to damage this great organization.
Those of you who know me personally know that I will not give up the fight to “do the right thing”.
Please feel free to forward this to as many PGR member as you so desire or to direct members to my website for updates. Since Bonnie and I have been banned from the PGR website, this is the only way we have to get the truth out.
As more information is made available to me, I will post it on my website:
http://www.twistersstore.com
“Riding With Respect”,
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