10/11/2023
What a story here. As you all know, I started a pro wrestling podcast not too long ago. For the few listeners I had, you may have noticed that I stopped uploading episodes a couple of months ago. Here is why....
As I was prepping to record episode #4, I felt like I was starting to somewhat find a groove in my production. But then one day, I got a text from the guy who created my championship belt logo. He asked me if I had submitted any trademark requests. And while I do own a copyright on the logo design, colors and use, I do not have a trademark on the actual "WrestlingConEsteef" name because frankly, I can't afford it yet and it never occurred to me that someone would try to steal it.
Apparently, some woman in Vermont that I don't know and have never heard of, tried to trademark MY creation. Who she is, what her motives are, and if she was even real remains a mystery to me. But the logo artist "conveniently" offered me trademark services through his own lawyer, or to redesign the logo, which I took to be a scam.
Some red flags came up during the logo design process. Namely, those red flags consisted of whether I thought I was communicating with a stolen identity/scammer because he did everything he could to communicate by text only and limit phone conversations. But I insisted and was still suspicious because his name, Michael Harrison, sounded very "American plain" but he had a VERY thick accent and english was definitely not his primary language. Despite this, communication was open, fluid and prompt and the final product was something I was happy with. At that moment, I was happy to conclude my interactions with this individual to avoid driving my anxiety further.
And then he sends me a text out of the blue about the trademark request and showed me what I believe is a phony document with a trademark request. But what really set off the scam sirens again was when this person told me that I don't have to worry about the trademark as long as I change the name or design a new logo. (Not for free, of course) And I'm thinking, "the name I just paid you to create a logo for?" Change THAT? What good would this logo, that I've already paid for, do for me then? So I called him out for being a scammer and he got very upset with me, which I am not bothered by. But initially, on the off chance that it was real, I kept thinking I would get some kind of cease and desist notice even though I established this online identity awhile ago. So I did get spooked that maybe it was real.
So I was conflicted. On one hand, this guy could be scamming me and trying to squeeze me for money. On the other, maybe this thing is real and I get sued the moment I try to upload another episode and eventually when I try to monetize it and do a proper LLC. But I've decided it's nothing to worry about and will start uploading new episodes once again. If and when something further happens, I'll address it then.
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