> > DENVER - The trade name claim filed on Thursday to lock down the rights to > the phrase "Occupy Denver" has been withdrawn. > > According to a filing on Saturday morning with Secretary of State's > office, the attorney who had filed the original claim withdrew. > > 9NEWS first reported on this story on Friday. > > The trade name claim didn't come from movement organizers, but from the > address of a law firm run by a prominent supporter of Gov. John > Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. > > Hickenlooper and Hancock have been strongly criticized by Occupy Denver > protestors for their handling of the weeks-long encampment in downtown > Denver. > > "It struck me as strange," Occupy Denver protestor Jason Roth said. "I > doubt that it's a coincidence because of the connection between these > people and our elected representatives." > > The filing came from the office of Bookhardt and O'Toole, a law firm > specializing in municipal bond work. The firm's founding partner is Dawn > Bookhardt, one of five transition committee co-chairs for Hancock and a > high-profile Hickenlooper supporter who donated just short of the maximum > amount to his 2010 gubernatorial campaign. > > "Wow. That's interesting," a protestor who asked to be identified as JJ > said. "I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist or anything, but that seems > like something Hickenlooper would do to undermine this movement, to > undermine what we're trying to fight for here." > > Hancock declined comment Friday. > > Roth says Occupy Denver organizers hadn't filed for trade name protection > because they had other priorities. > > "We've been in fair use of that name for at least three weeks now," Roth > said. "If a corporate lawyer were to come down here and say cease and > desist, do not use 'Occupy Denver,' I think our legal team would be in > court fairly quickly." > > The filing by Bookhardt & O'Toole attorney Mike Schneider only states that > the filer "transacts business of contemplates transacting business" under > the name Occupy Denver, describing the business as "Educational Forums." > > By email, Schneider declined to comment on the filing to 9Wants to Know > investigator Kyle Clark. He later emailed to say the trade name statement > was not related to Bookhardt and O'Toole. > > Dawn Bookhardt says Schneider's actions were "unauthorized." > > "My understanding is that he did it on his own," Bookhardt said by phone. > "Frankly, I'm stunned." > > Bookhardt says Schneider was "in trouble" for using the firm's time, > resources and address to file a trade name claim for personal use. She > denied her firm is trying to undercut Occupy Denver. > > "Typical. That's what corporate America is all about," protestor Cameron > Kelly, who joined the protest during a visit to Colorado from New York, > said. > > "I think people have put two and two and two together and they're seeing > that we're getting screwed," Kelly said, turning to a 9NEWS > photojournalist. "Can you say that on TV?" > > > > > > -- Sandwichman
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