Subway doesn’t want you claiming you have footlongs
Chris Spags Subway’s “Five Dollar Footlong” has certainly done a lot to help brand one of their key products in a difficult-to-distinguish marketplace. But the term “footlong” to describe a sandwich is one that’s been around for a while, so you’d think they’d get it wasn’t exactly a new concept. False! They’re suing everyone who uses the name footlong now.
According to a report on NPR:
Last week, [The Coney Island Drive Inn, a restaurant in Florida which owns the domain gotfoolongs.com] got a letter from a lawyer representing Subway, which, as you may have heard, sells 12-inch sandwiches for five bucks.
After explaining that Subway “has applied for the trademark FOOTLONG (TM) in association with sandwiches,” the letter says:
You are hereby put on notice to cease and desist from using FOOTLONG (TM) association with sandwiches. You must immediately remove all references to FOOTLONG (TM) in association with sandwiches.
Subway has already recanted the letter, saying that it was a “clerical error” and that they’d only be going after shops selling sandwiches, not hot dogs. Because, you know, that’s more logical.
Aaaaand you can insert your own d-ck punchline here.
I get the legalities behind wanting to protect your copyrights and trademarks so people can’t profit off it. But you can’t just co-opt a term people have been using for literally decades and then go, “Hey, that’s ours.” Just because I write an obnoxious jingle about wanting big fat hamburgers rubbed on my face violently while men point at me and pleasure themselves and everyone hears about it doesn’t mean the word hamburger is now my intellectual property. It does mean I’m a lot of fun at barbecues, though.
Subway To Everyone Else: Stop Selling ‘Footlong’ Sandwiches [NPR]
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