The Navy — and U.S. military in general — is well-known for its pursuit of dominance on all fronts.
So it was with the Navy’s newest slogan, “Forged by the Sea,” according to a Task and Purpose report.
According to the report, the Navy sought ownership over its new catch phrase, which was rolled out during the Army-Navy game on Dec. 9 as part of a $10 million ad campaign to recruit so-called “Centennials.”
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While the service registered a trademark to use the new motto on an array of items, it also approached one small-time “Forged by the Sea” user.
Alyson Pacini is a Cape Cod jeweler who applied for and received trademark rights to the phrase last year after she began using it for her jewelry line in 2011.
Task reports that the service reached out to Pacini and offered to buy the trademark registration off her for $5,000, all while licensing the jeweler to continue using the slogan for her product line. Pacini said no.
Navy officials then upped the offer to $7,500, according to Task, but Pacini continued to decline.
“The Navy Trademark Office made multiple attempts to reach out to Ms. Pacini by phone and email, not to seek permission for use of the trademark in our recruiting efforts, but rather to offer to purchase her trademark and license it back to her for unrestricted use in her business,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jessica McNulty, spokesperson for Navy Recruiting Command.
“Since she declined the Navy’s offer, jewelry-related items will not be used by the Navy,” McNulty said. “The Navy regrets any misunderstanding of the purpose of our outreach to Ms. Pacini.”
“My grandfather was a proud Navy man; he had all the Navy memorabilia all over his house and a replica of the ship he served on in his living room,” Pacini told Task. “I’m not disrespecting the service of the troops, but I don’t respect the leadership or their lawyers.”
