Dykes on Bikes fight with U.S. patent office

Dykes on Bikes are unhappy with U.S. patent office
Originally uploaded by Brite Lights photos.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - The story in the San Francisco Chronicle is written without irony - arguably the only newspaper in America that could get away with writing this as a straight news story, no pun intended there, though it's a pretty good one, eh?

But only a short time after the raucous gay pride parade and with a city mayor who is still championing gay marriage in the face of bad court rulings, the women are feeling their strength and want the name of their motorcycle club to be a legal, registered trademark.

Well, I suppose. But do they really need a trademark? How many other groups are likely to jump in and try to steal that name? As I read the story, I wondered if Sonny Barger ever tried to get a copyright on the Hell's Angels. I think he just went and stomped anyone with the temerity to use their name when they weren't affiliated.

Still, the Dykes maybe are looking for a little federal recognition of being gay, not something they are likely to get from this White House. And the bureaucracy that surrounds it takes its cues from administration, not the rest of the country, whether on motorcycles or not.

In the meantime, for a full rendition of what the controversy is about, check out this link:

Dykes patent fight