Chris Taylor Jr. received various copyright and trademark-based takedown notices from Elderwood Academy for his 3D Printed Model of a Hex Dice Box he posted on Thingiverse. We intend to help Chris fight the trademark registration and keep Hex Dice Boxes available to everyone who wants to make one. After some research, we've discovered that Elderwood Academy has been GRANTED a trademark on a hexagonal dice box as shown below (and without further branding or design). Elderwood Academy's Trademark Application can be found here. (The Site seems to be having trouble today 12/25, but you can find the TM application number 88125640 in TSDR if the system comes back up.) Generally speaking, Patent law protects product designs and Trademark law protects branding. Trademark law usually can't be used to protect the "functions" of a product. Last, you usually can't trademark basic shapes (like a hexagon and diamond). We at Lawful Masses (and licensed Attorney Leonard French, Esq.) believe that this is a weak trademark that is ripe for Opposition. The trademark application has been granted and published to the Federal Register specifically for Opposition. We have 30 days from Dec 10th, 2019, to file an Opposition to the full Registration of the mark. Please see our video below to see our evaluation of the case: About Chris Taylor: Chris Taylor Jr. wants to share his joy of 3D Modeling and Printing with the world. His passion for "pay it forward" means he shares himself, his joys, and his follies, with the world. Mr. Taylor has given us permission to discuss his case, his standing, and to raise money in this GoFundMe for the Trademark Opposition. If you would like to directly donate to Chris Taylor Jr., his GoFundMe from his involuntary one-way move across the US by School Bus is here: Chris Taylor Jr.'s Personal GoFundMe Please see our interview with Chris Taylor Jr. below: Expectations / Terms: We are collecting money to be held in escrow (trust) on behalf of Chris Taylor Jr. specifically for any and all efforts to Oppose the Trademark. There is no guarantee of success; you are not donating for a guaranteed outcome. We intend to hire a trademark litigator to file an Opposition Action with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) by January 8th, 2020. This depends on finding a Trademark Litigator willing and able to take the case and file said Action on time. We will raise the amount requested if necessary once we know what the actual costs will be. Leonard has already reached out to one trademark litigator and will post updates as we go. Lawful Masses - and - Leonard French, Esq. will not receive any portion of the GoFundMe; the money is meant to hire outside trademark litigation counsel. Chris Taylor Jr., through his representation, will make the final decisions on what courses of action he wants to take. So far, he has committed to being the face of the Opposition Action as he should have standing to Oppose based on the takedowns of his Thingiverse model(s). Should there be excess funds, regardless of whether the Action fails or succeeds, they will be donated to a non-profit organization like the EFF (and we'll updated here when we decide which org; I'm leaving it open in case the Litigator is from said organization). THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! (If I've missed anything or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.)

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