#SkiPass #Trademarks #FYI...

Chair 23, Mammoth Mountain

Consolidation, Collaboration, Confusion...  The Three C's, as it were, are confronting die-hard skiers across the U.S. as ski resorts merge and build out multiple venue season ski passes.  In California, thousands of skiers annually visit Mammoth Mountain and have purchased annual ski passes for many years.  The beloved MVP Pass, however, has now been replaced by the IKON PASS. A period of #confusion ensued for the Mammoth faithful but the consensus seems to now be that the IKON PASS is the best option for those who ski principally at Mammoth.

Mammoth Mountain, at Chair 2/The Mill

Since this is a #Trademark focused blog, we begin with a review of the pending U.S. Federal trademark and service mark application for IKON PASS:

Word Mark	IKON PASS
Goods and Services	IC 003. US 001 004 006 050 051 052. G & S: Lip balm; sunscreen preparationsIC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Decorative magnets IC 014. US 002 027 028 050. G & S: Keychains; jewelry; watches; clocks; ornamental pins IC 016. US 002 005 022 023 029 037 038 050. G & S: Bags; note cards and envelopes; gift wrap paper; books in the field of art; fiction books and non-fiction books on the topics of outdoor lifestyle, adventure, history, skiing and snowboarding, cooking, entertainment, architecture and design; printed materials, namely, magazines in the field of outdoor recreation and resort activities; works of art made of paper; illustrations; photographic prints; framed art prints; writing instruments; office supplies, namely, stationery, envelopes, wrapping paper, packaging materials made of paper, and adhesive tape for stationery purposes; blank journals; notebooks; bookends; bookmarks; calendars and desktop planners; greeting cards; postcards; decals and stickers; pen or pencil holders IC 021. US 002 013 023 029 030 033 040 050. G & S: Mugs; coasters; household and kitchen goods, namely, drinking glasses, shot glasses, bottle openers, wine openers IC 025. US 022 039. G & S: Clothing, namely, base layers, vests, shirts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, robes, bathrobes, jackets, ski pants, cycling jerseys, socks, belts, gloves; headwear, namely, visors, caps, hats and beanies; footwear IC 028. US 022 023 038 050. G & S: Christmas tree ornaments; snow globes; plush toys; sporting goods and equipment, namely, skis, snowboards, and ski poles IC 035. US 100 101 102. G & S: Retail and online retail store services featuring ski lift access passes, clothing, ski and snowboard equipment and helmets, and ski and snowboard resort promotional items IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Ski resort services featuring a ski pass program IC 042. US 100 101. G & S: Providing on-line non-downloadable computer software for providing information related to weather, snowfall, ski conditions and resorts
Standard Characters Claimed
Mark Drawing Code	(4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Serial Number	87670905
Filing Date	November 3, 2017
Current Basis	1B
Original Filing Basis	1B
Owner	(APPLICANT) ALTERRA MOUNTAIN COMPANY CORPORATION DELAWARE 1621 18TH STREET, SUITE 300 DENVER COLORADO 80202
Assignment Recorded	ASSIGNMENT RECORDED
Attorney of Record	Ian L. Saffer
Type of Mark	TRADEMARK. SERVICE MARK
Register	PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator	LIVE

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Note: The multiple classes of goods and services included in this multi-class application.  This is a very carefully crafted application.

Alterra Mountain Company, a Delaware corp., based in Denver, CO, now own multiple ski resorts across the U.S., as well as in Canada.  Alterra has also partnered with additional independent ski resorts, as described below.

The IKON PASS, as promoted, offers:

Image Source:  https://www.ikonpass.com/en

Per the IKON PASS website:

"The Ikon Pass is the new standard in season passes for winter 2018/2019. North America’s top destinations have joined together to offer skiers and riders 12 destinations from Alterra Mountain Company and 14 premier destination partners. The Ikon Pass offers the opportunity to access unique terrain, join a like-minded community, and experience the most iconic mountains in North America."

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In terms of the branding effort and intellectual property effort in connection with the IKON PASS, the above-referenced pending trademark application is a very good example of marketing and legal working together to maximize value and to protect the owner's investment.

Respectfully submitted,

William E. Maguire

www.TrademarkEsq.com

(photos by & Copyright Will Maguire 2018.)

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