MUSKOGEE, OK — Poor, imprisoned millionaire softcore porn mogul, Joe Francis. The guy just can’t catch a break. The way he sees it, everyone is out to get him because of his money. Everybody just wants a piece of him – or at least a piece of his fame. Because of this, he is prepared to “crush” those who oppose him – including three female wine makers.Famous for whining, if not for making a delicious fruit-based alcoholic beverage, Francis is outraged by the audacity of the Oklahoma wine-merchants for indulging in what he informed The Oklahoman is nothing less than “blatant trademark infringement.”
Further, the choice of Girls Gone Wine, again in Francis’ assessment, “just backs up everything that people have tried to do to me over the last few years, to take advantage of me – and we’re tired of it.”
He may be tired of many things, including spending time in court, but it looks like he, or one of his company representatives at the very least, is about to do precisely that, since the Broken Bow trio has filed to protect their trademarked name from Francis and Mantra Films.
Awaiting trial on tax evasion charges in a Reno, NV prison, Francis says the entire matter “is a nightmare.”
It’s a nightmare that’s only going to get more real as the Shady Ladies partnership of women who once thought about investing in sunglasses seek the blessing of a federal court judge to continue producing the kind of giddy making drink that Francis’ empire has depended upon to keep his performers relaxed and uninhibited.
After receiving a cease and desist letter from a very busy Mantra Films attorney, the ladies decided to cut to the chase and see if they could save their Girls Gone Wine winery from a name change.
Owner Michelle Finch says that “It always makes your gut clinch when you get that kind of thing,” adding that the group is “hopeful that it will all work out” and determined to remain in business no matter what.
It never occurred to Finch that anyone would confuse her Oklahoma winery with the drunken coed DVD series. “We don’t get people walking in the door looking for anything but wine,” she observed to The Oklahoman.
Although the women say the chose the name simply because it sounded fun – and registered it successfully this past February, Francis insists that “we will crush them.” Legal representative Michael Burke uses softer language, but communicates a message that the women are no more likely to appreciate hearing. Burke believes that the entire matter can be set aside if the ladies will simply agree to pay a royalty to Mantra Films and refrain from advertising their product nationally.
Martin Ozinga, who represents Finch and her friends, agrees that things can be settled easily. “The United States Patent and Trademark Office has already said, ‘There’s no issue here. They can co-exist.’”
That’s language that Francis and his legal eagles aren’t likely to want to hear.
