A few days ago, I received a certified letter from the City of Missouri City, stating I was in violation of using the Missouri City Official logo on my Facebook page. The letter also stated they would be forced to pursue legal actions if I didn’t remove the logo.First and foremost, I do understand the importance of protecting trademarks and had I known the logo was trademarked I probably would not be writing this blog post. However, with that said, I couldn’t help but think about the City’s proposal to raise the property tax rate; which means the City is in need of more revenue.
My concern is that the City is willing to pursue a lawsuit for using a logo and spend money for this “alleged” offense. Shouldn’t the City be more concerned about reducing their unnecessary spending habits to avoid increasing tax payers’ dollars? As a city council candidate, I’m constantly communicating with city representatives. It would have been much cheaper (free actually) for me to be contacted via email or even by phone to save tax payers’ money. I received a total of 6 COLOR pages; including a certified letter. Not to mention, the time the staff spent writing the letter. Threatening to spend tax payers’ dollars to sue me for using a logo is a form of bullying or at the very least an inefficient use of time and funds.
Some might think this is petty, but I see this as an evidence of unnecessary spending habits. This is one of the main reasons I’m running to become a member of City Council. My goal is to encourage the other council members to prevent unnecessary spending habits and inspire smarter financial decisions making skills.
Vashaundra Edwards 