The Keyword "Homegrown"

[chuckiepoo]

Hi!
My plan is to build some amateur sites promoting Homegrown Video. I plan on using the word "homegrown" in the title.

Here's the question: Generally, would link lists have a problem with that i.e. copyright/palagarism (spelling?) issues?

I'm sure the nice folks at Homegrown Video wouldn't mind. This may seem like a strange, off-the-wall question. But you gotta remember the seventies were good to me!

|rock|

[Surfn]

Flynt Digital might object.

[chuckiepoo]

Whhaaaaaaaa?

[Surfn]

My mistake I was thinking of "Hometown"...my bad

[Bill]

In general it shouldn't be a problem, and I haven't found any linklists that would object.

Now, use Homegrown free content to promote some other site and you will get hassles.

[chuckiepoo]

Thanks Bill And Surfn.
Yeah, I plan on using my own bought content.

[Far-L]

Thanks for asking this question as it shows excellent consideration and professionality on your part.

Very respectfully and without threat, I must say that we are very uptight about the way "Homegrown" is used with regard to advertising amateur adult entertainment products. We have copyrights and trademarks that we must vigilently protect and we cannot let anyone be confused about getting our products.

For example, if someone used non-Homegrown content to send traffic to Homegrownvideo.com then we would have just as much as a problem as if someone used that same content to send the traffic to pretendHomegrown.com. Each example demonstrates the potential for brand confusion.

Please understand that we have 20 years of making the term "homegrown" when referring to adult content synonymous with "amateur sex". We don't own the word "homegrown" we just own the rights to use it in relation to what we do.

I am happy to answer any more questions and I hope you understand where I am coming from.

[Bill]

So, far-l, you don't approve of using non-homegrown content to promote Homegrown Video?

I don't recall anything about that in the Terms.

And that's awfully complex to control on a freesite, which has spaces for some 9 to 12 advertisements, many on pages with no content.

---

chuckiepoo, I thought of a special case which might affect what you are doing. Some linklists reject sites that use the sponsors name as the _freesites name_ in the listing.

So, you can put "Homegrown Video" in the title tags and on the page, but you can't call the free site "Homegrown Video" and get listed in some places.

[Far-L]

If it is our content, whether it is a pic, a vid, or a banner, being used to promote Homegrown then that is another story. We are ok with that because that is not going to create brand confusion.

Obviously we don't want people saying "see Paris Hilton's amateur xxx at Homegrown" because Paris may be everywhere else but she is not on Homegrown. Nor do we want people saying check out this great Homegrown site that does not feature Homegrown's content, and that is what my last post's examples were referring to.

Right now everyone who is a program owner has to be very concerned about how affiliates market for them which is a big part of the Perfect 10 case where programs were sued because affiliates were using stolen Perfect 10 content to solicit people to their respective sponsors and the sponsors were held responsible.

I am not trying to be difficult or unreasonable. I am trying to protect my company, our brand, and the fans who expect Homegrown to mean Amateur XXX.

[Bill]

Is there something about this in the terms? I don't recall it, altho it was years ago that I read the terms for the first time.

It sounds like you are making a fairly complex distinction.

If I understand you correctly, you are saying it's okay to put homegrown banner advertising on general amateur hardcore pages, but not okay to name or title free sites as "homegrown" sites if they don't have content from the homegrown site.

I understand brand management, and that it is becoming more important, but I've been around a while, and this is the first I've heard of these distinctions you are making.

It sounds like an important topic, please explain further. Taking chuckiepoos theoretical case as an example, what are the specific issues you would have, and what would be your companies response to cases like this?

[Far-L]

Bill: I agree with you; it is a very complex distinction.

Essentially, we are taking a very conservative view of the Perfect 10 situation and trying hard to avoid those types of lawsuits.

It boils down to how the traffic is being sent and whether or not it is clear that the person is going to Homegrown for the purpose and expectation of receiving homegrown free of false promises or misleading assertions.

Originally posted by Bill


I don't recall anything about that in the Terms.

Thank you for pointing that out. Ironically, because of our copyright dispute with the company that created those terms I cannot correct that omission, so as a result of that and many other reasons I do not currrently endorse www.homegrowncash.com.

[chuckiepoo]

Far-L

I'm getting a tad confused.
OK. I was planning on using titles such as
"Everyday Homegrown Sluts" or something along those lines.

I would be using ordinary content from the usual content suppliers. All the girls would be "amateur-looking," no major pornstars, just home-girls. But all the banners would be Homegrown Video banners; all ads would be sending traffic to Homegrown exclusively.

The reason I wanted to use the word "homegrown'" was a simple case of SEO. The competition at Google for the word "amateur' for instance is astronomical Couldn't find anything that got less than 1, 370,000 hits. (not an exact number, just an example - you know what I mean) so the only thing I could come up within the hits range I need was "homegrown."

If, however, you would rather me not use the "H" word . I'll comply. I'll just do another keyword search.