The future of “It’s Nice to Have You in Birmingham” is still up in the air. Last year, local design studio Yellowhammer Creative filed a trademark application for the phrase. They’ve used it on murals and t-shirts, and argue it’s become synonymous with their brand. When their application became public, many Birminghamians were outraged.
“It’s absolutely pathetic to see what this business is doing to hinder the redevelopment of Birmingham by claiming ownership of a slogan and design that predates the business itself!” said a commenter on Yellowhammer Creative’s Facebook page.
Yellowhammer maintains their intentions are honorable. “Our move to trademark the phrase came solely from a position of goodwill, to prevent others from bastardizing or haphazardly changing the phrase for their own gain,” said Yellowhammer founder Brandon Watkins at a community meeting in October.
Now three parties are petitioning Yellowhammer’s application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. LIV Apartment Partners, artist Erin Bodden, and REV Birmingham and the Birmingham Business Alliance (joint filers) are all trying to keep the phrase in the public domain. Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper WELD joins WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley for an update on where the battle stands, and why Birmingham so often sees clashes between people and groups who, on the surface, seem to have the same goals and vision for the city.