Steamboat Ski Resort is suing Utah tourism officials, claiming its $1.8 million Ski City U.S.A. campaign designed to lure tourists from Colorado violates their Ski Town, U.S.A. trademark.
Visit Salt Lake, the tourism-promotion group that created the campaign, declined to comment on the suit, according to the Associated Press.
The new Ski City logo was heralded at a press event last month that drew local elected officials as well as tourism authorities and ski resort executives. It was designed to promote Salt Lake City and its surrounding area restaurants and bars that are a short drive from four resorts: Alta Ski Area, Brighton Resort, Snowbird Ski Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort.
The trademark infringement suit filed in Denver seeks to stop Salt Lake from using the Ski City brand and unspecified damages. Steamboat Ski Resort and Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club names the four Utah resorts and Visit Salt Lake in the lawsuit.
Steamboat, which is owned by Intrawest, said it has used the term Ski Town, U.S.A. since 1959 and has registered the phrase with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The Associated Press story is here: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Colorado-resort-sues-over-Salt-Lake-ski-marketing-5809648.php
