Years after legal action first brought organizers of the legendary Sturgis motorcycle rally face to face with those of the smaller Kentucky based ‘Little Sturgis’ motorcycle event, a judge has spoken.
And it was a Federal judge who signed the decision that the Sturgis, Ky. group will no longer be able to use the name Sturgis in relation to a motorcycle event. According to reports, the group has also agreed to accept a Consent Final Judgment and a Stipulated Permanent Judgment in favor of SMRi and paid the community oriented non-profit an ‘undisclosed sum’.
The legal action has been playing out in the courtrooms since 2008 with the final stages coming as the trademark rights for the word ‘Sturgis’ was transferred from the Local Dakota Chamber to organizers of the legendary motorcycle rally.
"I think it’s important for not only Sturgis but for the entire Black Hills because if we as a community and an event allow other events around the United States to play off of the theme of this one, it could have a negative economic impact on us that are doing business here," Dean Kinney, chairperson of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Inc said, "One of the key things is that we have to protect the trademark in order to keep it so we couldn’t allow this event to violate our trademark rights."
The Kentucky event also attempted to register the name "Little Sturgis," but the effort was rejected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Regardless of the court victory, organizers had already decided not to stage the ‘Little Sturgis’ event this year.
Considered the biggest motorcycle rally in Kentucky, ‘Little Sturgis’ has been held annually in Union County since 1993, attracting thousands of motorcycle riders from all over the country and raising over $2 million for charities.
The event gained even more attention when organizers of Sturgis, the motorcycle rally held in South Dakota pursued legal action to stop Kentucky organizers from using the word ‘Sturgis’ for their event.
But it wasn’t the lawyers who cancelled the 2011 event, just simple economics.
Reportedly attendance had fallen over the years from a peak number of 22,000 to only 8,000 last year. With fewer bikers attending the cost of hiring bands, security, trash removal and other mandatory items is causing the festival to lose money. Organizers also have said securing land leases has become challenging.
Many feel the decision makes the legal ownership of the name Sturgis clear.
"Our organization is charged with promoting and enhancing the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally while providing a charitable return for the greater Sturgis area," Kinney said in a release Tuesday, "and part of that responsibility is to protect the intellectual property of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Inc. from unauthorized use, infringement and counterfeit goods and services."