Minneapolis blogger John Edwards is suing a city official he says tried to co-opt the name of his online brand, "Wedge Live," in order to silence his political commentary.
Edwards is asking a Hennepin County court to recognize him as the legal owner of "Wedge Live," and alleges Carol Becker — an elected member of the Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation — attempted to coerce him after she filed for the trademark and business registration for that name.
"I think it's important to draw a line in the sand and say: 'You can't do this. This is where it stops,' " said Edwards, who has clashed with Becker over city planning issues.
Becker said Thursday that she has already rescinded her applications on the trademark and business registration, and called the lawsuit "frivolous."
"It's hard to see there's any harm here," she said. "I mean, I never had the trademark. I never threatened the guy. ... I never did any of that stuff."
The saga has played out on social media for the past month, since Edwards discovered from a public notice in the Star Tribune that Becker had applied for ownership over the name. Edwards posted about it on Twitter, sparking droves of supporters to criticize what they considered a sneaky attempt to muzzle an adversary. Becker withdrew her applications, noting she may refile for rights to the name in the future.
Edwards wasn't satisfied with that outcome and decided to hire a lawyer to help protect the brand he's been building over the past four years with frequent posts that combine wonky political commentary with comic videos that ridicule local politicians and public commenters.
The lawsuit seeks to stop Becker from making another claim on the name Wedge Live, calling her past attempts "false," "misleading" and an infringement of Edwards' rights. Though Edwards had not filed for a trademark, the suit alleges he holds a common-law claim on the combination of the words "Wedge" and "Live" by using it for years, and even earning praise and awards from journalists for his work.
