A letter from a Wisconsin legal firm recently was waiting on my desk with a sticky note marked "This is funny!"

In dry legalese, an attorney for the Bobcat® Co. took issue with my October story on the ghost town of Montague.

More:Discover the ghost town of Montague in central Montana's Chouteau County

The article noted that the Chouteau County community has a sign that lists its population as "3 nice folks and one old grump" and says there's one ordinance: "No medical marijuana shops, Wal-Marts or Bobcats ALLOWED. RADAR ENFORCED."

Now a Montanan likely would read that and think, "That old grump must be a Griz fan." Maybe deep in the Yaak woods, they'd think about trapping a furry feline.

But as the saying goes, if the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. If you're a Bobcat® lawyer, every Bobcat reference must be about construction equipment.

The rivalry between the Montana State University Bobcats and University of Montana Grizzlies (or "Cat-Griz" but not Caterpillar/Cat® tractors, heaven help us) may be top of mind for many of us in the fall, but clearly, it hasn't reached everywhere.

The lawyer's letter emphasized that Bobcat® should only be used as an adjective, such as a "Bobcat skid-steer loader" and requested a correction.

"Improper use of a trademark as a noun can lead to loss of trademark rights. For example, 'aspirin' and 'escalator' were once protected trademarks, but no longer are. The Bobcat Company seeks to ensure that Bobcat does not become a common, generic term for skid-steer loaders or other equipment and appreciates your assistance in protecting its valuable mark."

I posted a copy of this "nastygram" on Twitter and Facebook as an example of #MontanaProblems.

One Twitter follower, @MaasAeon, wrote that he hoped the company also sent a strongly worded letter to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. What a shame if people thought "there are scores of compact construction equipment running loose in the woods of Montana!"

Another noted that MSU predates the Bobcat Co. Indeed, the company was established in 1947 to MSU's 1893. The mammalian bobcat (lynx rufus) is even older — a species that emerged 1.8 million years or so.

A Yale-educated lawyer friend suggested the attorneys send out a version of the form letter each time there's a news alert for "Bobcat," with the idea it's cheaper to get a few "false positives" than to actually think about specific articles and whether they merit a response.

Another lawyer friend (how did I not realize I had so many lawyer friends?) said this is why people make lawyer jokes. She's a Bobcat fan (of the MSU variety), too.

The Wisconsin lawyer's letter requested a response to confirm the Montague article had been "updated as requested." A recovered journalist who now works as a lawyer finally put that expensive degree to its best possible use and crafted a response for me:

Dear [Bobcat lawyer],

I am in receipt of your letter dated Dec. 27, 2018, requesting removal from a recent Great Falls Tribune article of the term “Bobcat,” which you perceived as a trademark misuse.

I was surprised by your letter. I actually had to set down myCoca Cola-brand soft drink and wipe my eyes with a Kleenex-brand tissue to be sure I was reading it correctly.Further review confirmed your belief that a sign in the four-person “town” of Montague, Mont., forbidding “medical marijuana shops, Wal-Marts or Bobcats” refers to Bobcat-brand skid-steer loaders.

When I told my editor, he was equally incredulous, and this on a day in which he’d also received correspondence from the KKK. He cleaned out his ears with a Q-tip brand cotton swab and asked me to repeat myself.

We are both disappointed by your assumption that “Mr. Mayor,” Bill Thomas would ban your client’s fine equipment from the town. While reasonable minds could disagree on which brand ofskid-steer loader is best, it is insulting to suggest a public servant of Mr. Mayor’s caliber would impose his preference on his three constituents.

I respectfully suggest an alternative interpretation of the sign referenced in the Oct. 30, 2018 article “Discover central Montana ghost town Montague.” A quick search on the Google Inc. internet search engine would have revealed the mascot for Montana State University is the “Bobcat.” As noted in the article, “Mr. Mayor” resided in Missoula, the home of the University of Montana Grizzlies, sworn rivals of the Montana State University Bobcats. Might it be possible that the sign in Montague is a tongue-in-cheek exclusion of alums from the rival of the mayor’s alma mater?

Wal-Mart, I will concede, is a trademark, not that I have controlof Montague’s signs or sole ordinance.

I trust this addresses your concerns, and you will withdraw your request to alter the article. Please confirm by letter, email or 3-M Post It-brand sticky note.

Sincerely,

Kristen

PS. According to Webster-brand dictionaries, “bobcat” is a species of feline indigenous to the Rocky Mountains, including Montana.

Bobcat Co. responded Thursday via Twitter with a "Whoops," adding "Please share our apology with the nice folks of Montague (even the old grump). Oh, and...Go NDSU Bison!"