Calendar of Events | Media Photos
For Immediate Release: November 27, 2007
Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau & Surf City USAŽ The Trademark Story
Huntington Beach, Calif., November 2007 — The Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau (HBCVB) knows the power of the brand is everywhere from Starbucks and Volkswagen to McDonald’s and Apple. Brands sell by generating awareness; they can be powerful by creating a way of life or even a lifestyle. Like consumer products, destinations such as Huntington Beach compete and need to be marketed to attain awareness, recognition and preference.
“By branding Huntington Beach and all of its tourism related entities as Surf City USA, we help Huntington Beach remain in the public consciousness and build on the powerful imagery of Southern California surf culture and laidback, beach lifestyle,” said Doug Traub, president/CEO of the HBCVB. “Brand awareness creates goodwill and demand among leisure, business and convention travelers alike.”
The Surf City USA® brand was introduced in 2004 following an unprecedented, year-long market study conducted by the HBCVB that included tens of thousands of consumers and residents of Huntington Beach, the “Surf City” of Jan & Dean’s 1960s anthem to sun, sand, waves and youth.
“Huntington Beach trademarked the ‘Surf City USA’ phrase to create a brand position that could be clearly associated with a lifestyle and state-of-mind,” said Traub. “The brand is intended to capture the unique qualities of Huntington Beach and differentiate it as a prime destination among the many other cities along the Southern California coast.”
To help drive the success of the SURF CITY USA® brand, the HBCVB has retained Trademarks International, a local brand and patent development and licensing agency. Currently there are nine registered trademarks for Surf City USA, with four more under consideration by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. There are 16 licensing partners offering products and services, including clothing and bags, financial services, beach cruiser bicycles, bottled soda drinks, photography and numerous other gifts and promotional items. The HBCVB’s trademark applications represent a significant investment in its central marketing strategy and business approach.
“The Surf City USA brand is key to Huntington Beach,” said Traub. “Over the next ten years, the HBCVB anticipates devoting every dollar generated by licensing into marketing initiatives including event sponsorship, advertising and other forms of brand promotion that benefit the community and help to improve the quality of life for both residents and visitors.”
About the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau
The Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization of Huntington Beach, California. As one of the top Southern California coastal destinations featuring premier California beach resorts, Huntington Beach is the ideal location for a California family vacation, weekend getaway or surfing trip. With 8.5 miles of pristine California beaches, Huntington Beach is fast becoming a destination of choice for vacationers and business travelers alike. To plan your Surf City USA® vacation or to learn more about Huntington Beach, visit the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau website at www.surfcityusa.com or call 800-729-6232 for a free Visitors Guide.
FACT: The lawsuit against the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau is NOT about naming rights to “Surf City,” but the legitimacy of the Bureau’s rights to its registered Surf City USA® trademarks. Neither the City of Huntington Beach nor the City of Santa Cruz is party to the lawsuit. This is simply a suit brought by a private Santa Cruz merchant whose T-shirts the Bureau believes infringes its Surf City USA® federally-registered trademarks. The Bureau did not initiate the suit; instead, the merchant sued the Bureau, claiming, without basis, that its registrations were obtained “fraudulently.” This lawsuit is about the validity of the Bureau’s “Surf City USA” federal trademark registrations, and a private party’s infringements of that trademark. That is all.
FACT: The Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau trademarked Surf City USA® to create a brand clearly associated with a lifestyle and state-of-mind: the Southern California beach culture.
FACT: Nine Surf City USA® trademarks are registered, but not the general term “Surf City." The Huntington Beach trademark does not currently affect any businesses that prior used the term "Surf City" in Santa Cruz, Huntington Beach or anywhere else in world.
FACT: The Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau’s nine Surf City USA® trademark registrations represent a significant portion of the organization’s central marketing strategy and business approach.
FACT: Huntington Beach has more than a dozen licensing partners, including clothing, bags, financial services, beach cruiser bicycles, bottled soft drinks, photography and numerous other gifts and promotional items.
FACT: Santa Cruz has not marketed itself or entered into business relationships under the Surf City USA mark. There are approximately six (6) businesses in Santa Cruz that use the Surf City nickname. Whereas Huntington Beach has at least 70 businesses that incorporate that name, and the number keeps growing every month. The alleged “rivalry” between the two cities exists only in the imagination of some in Santa Cruz; the fact is that the entire world associates 1960s surf culture and beach lifestyle with Southern California and correctly so; Gidget is not moving to the redwoods any time soon.
FACT: The “friendly rivalry” in the media was created AFTER the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau filed applications for its first three Surf City USA® trademarks in November of 2004. The Santa Cruz merchant family that filed a lawsuit in October of 2006 is alleged to have used the trademark name after they read about it in the newspaper.
FACT: The Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau has not incurred any legal expenses in defending its Surf City USA® trademarks. The costs have been borne entirely by its insurance company.