The National Pork Board Threatens to Sue Breastfeeding Blogger...

Regular visitors to this blog will know of my involvement in the Breastfeeding Blog Carnivals. So many of you will be aware that Jennifer from The Lactivist Breastfeeding Blog is also a member of the aforementioned carnivals. Like me, Jennifer works extremely hard trying to get the breastfeeding message across and in order to do so she promotes breastfeeding in a variety of ways, one of which is via the sale of  humorous breastfeeding tee-shirts from her Cafe Press store.

Well, Jennifer was this morning informed by Jennifer Daniel Collins, an attorney at Faegre & Benson that represents The National Pork Board that she may be sued by The National Pork Board.

Why?

Get this - Jennifer created a tee-shirt with the slogan "The Other White Milk". Now this slogan makes perfect sense to me. After all, cows milk is white and the majority of babies are fed cows milk. Breastmilk is also white so Jennifer was simply making a reference to that in her use of the slogan, "The Other White Milk"

So what has this got to do with The National Pork Board?

Well apparently they own copyright to the slogan "The Other White Meat". And they are claiming that she has diluted their slogan and is in some way damaging them in her association with breastfeeding! Incredibly, they state in their legal letter:

• ...your use of this slogan also tarnishes the good reputation of the National Pork Board's mark in light of your apparent attempt to promote the use of breastmilk beyond merely for infant consumption, such as with the following slogans on your website in close proximity to the slogan "The Other White Milk." "Dairy Diva," "Nursing, Nature's Own Breast Enhancement," "Eat at Mom's, fast-fresh-from the breast," and "My Milk is the Breast."

Duh - how exactly is she doing this? The Jennifer I know and the tee-shirts I've seen make no reference to anything other than breastfeeding infants.

Now meat and milk - I don't really see the connection. But it seems The National Pork Board do!

Jennifer has posted the entire legal letter and all the demands she has received here.

Please visit  her blog and show your support.

And if you're a media person, remember the power of the breastfeeding community when the whole Delta airline story happened? This may be the next big breastfeeding story. Go get it...