'All The President's Men' Stole 'Freedom Watch' Trademark

'All The President's Men' Stole 'Freedom Watch' Trademark

Owner Larry Klayman Sues To Enjoin Bush Front Group's Misuse of Mark to Promote Iraq War

MIAMI, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Larry Klayman, founder of Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch, and former Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Florida, filed suit in federal court in Miami to enjoin the theft of his "Freedom Watch" trademark and its misuse to promote the ill conceived and poorly implemented Iraq War on behalf of the Bush-Cheney administration. The suit also seeks millions of dollars in damages against former Bush Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, Freedom's Watch President Brad Blakeman, and mega Bush-Cheney money men, who are funding ads promoting the Iraq War.

The name "Freedom Watch" was first announced by NBC Television in its hit political drama series "West Wing" when it created a semi-fictitious character after Larry Klayman, then Chairman of Judicial Watch, the public interest watchdog he founded to investigate and prosecute government corruption. Subsequently, and as the federal court complaint alleges, Klayman used the trade name "Freedom Watch" in commerce as early as November 24, 2004, thus establishing a trademark at that time. Klayman continuously used the mark thereafter, and later registered it with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Last summer, the real Freedom Watch, a public interest group founded by Klayman several years before defendants created their "Freedom's Watch," ran an ad in The Washington Times Weekly which was published and distributed to about 120,000 subscribers nationwide. Klayman's distinctive mark "Freedom Watch" is thus entitled to legal protection.

Several weeks ago, before defendants began running tens of millions of dollars of ads to promote the Iraq War, when "Freedom's Watch" was announced by Fleischer, Klayman warned the defendants not to infringe his mark and to cease and desist. Klayman not only sought to protect his mark, but objected to its use to destroy the real Freedom Watch trademark, as his group, while supportive of killing or capturing Saddam Hussein, views the protracted Iraq civil war as counterproductive to promoting freedom. Thus, the use by the Bush-Cheney administration of the Freedom Watch mark, even notwithstanding the alleged infringement, destroys its purpose, which is to promote freedom, not civil war and chaos.

"The Bush front group Freedom's Watch is a fraud," stated Klayman. These arrogant political lobbyists and rich Bush 'yes men,' who believe they are above the law, are not furthering freedom, but in fact harming it. I, for one, won't allow my mark to be illegally used for political purposes. And, I certainly will not allow these arrogant Washington elite to get away with having stolen the Freedom Watch name, which belongs to me. I would have expected robbery from O.J. Simpson, but not by 'All the President's Men,'" Klayman added.

For more information contact 305-579-3455, aacosta1@bellsouth.net or http://www.klaymanlaw.com/. Klayman is available for interviews.

Source: Freedom Watch

CONTACT: Freedom Watch, +1-305-579-3455, aacosta1@bellsouth.net

Web site: http://www.klaymanlaw.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment