Packing on the puns:
In a February filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office, the NCAA claims that a trademarked advertising campaign by Virginia Urology Center called “Vasectomy Mayhem” is “confusingly similar” to the association’s trademarked “March Madness.”
Um, if this is true then I am never going to an NCAA basketball game.
There definitely seems to be some kind of disconnect going on here. No need for the NCAA to bust anyone’s balls over it.
If anyone has the right to get snippy, it’s not them.
This claim is a load of bollocks…
To be fair, the urologist’s campaign is basketball themed. It was difficult to understand the NCAA’s position before seeing the visuals.
“But I can refer you to a mohel if that’s what you want…”
Depends on your ball-handling technique.
Or in, if you can wait till April.
Lawsuit aside, whose idea was it to use the word “mayhem” in the context of a sensitive medical procedure?
The definition from Webster’s:
Too early in the month for this nonsense. At least wait until Vasectomy 17th when I’ll be too drunk to care.
Oh, I mean March 17th. I’m ALWAYS getting those two confused.
Is the NCAA’s basis for the complaint that people might confuse different words that unambiguously mean different things.
As an organisation that is at least nominally concerned with education that’s troubling…
step aside! etymology obsessive coming through:
mayhem (n.)
late 15c., “the violent doing of a bodily hurt to another person,” from Anglo-French maihem (13c.), from Old French mahaigne “injury, wrong, a hurt, harm, damage;” related to mahaignier “to injure, wound, mutilate, cripple” (see maim). Originally, in law, the crime of maiming a person “to make him less able to defend himself or annoy his adversary” [OED]. By 19c. it was being used generally of any sort of violent disorder or needless or willful damage or violence.
Soooo… “vasectomy mayhem” → violent bodily mutilation done as the result of a vasectomy. Yeah that sells it [eyeskywards] (“But you missed it! It’s an homage to spectator sports! …admittedly it lost the alliteration, but ‘madness’ vs ‘mayhem’ will certainly bring the in the sports spectators for their sterilizations and merch, don’t you see!?”)
After watching it, it actually seems somewhat reasonable that the NCAA could be concerned people might think the NCAA was somehow involved in or supporting this vasectomy ad. Trying to invalidate the trademark might just be a simple way of getting them to stop.
Also…an ad for a vasectomy? For me that would be basically an immediate disqualification from considering someone to do a surgery I wanted. I don’t want the urologist that needs to run ads to fill their schedule.
Mayhem: Finalist, Words You Least Want To Hear When Considering Someone With Sharp Instruments Getting Anywhere Near Your Junk, 2021
They are going “Balls Out” with Dickhead Madness
The NCAA just wants their cut.
Dickhole Madness ©
They are trying to reduce unwanted pregnancies! It’s a public health issue.
