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"FacebookPinterest\n\nYou know times have changed when one of the most notorious biker gangs in history starts doling out cease-and-desist letters rather than good old-fashioned chain whippings. The Hells Angels, long one of the top dog clubs of the grizzly biker set, have found that branding can be every bit as lucrative as their (alleged) extra-legal business ventures, and when it comes to protecting that brand, they\u2019re more than happy to go to court. &amp;quot;The intent is not just to punish the infringers but to educate the public that the Hells Angels marques are well guarded and not generic and that they must not be infringed upon,&amp;quot; Fritz Clapp, the club\u2019s lawyer, recently told the New York Times. It turns out that when it comes to branding, the Angels know their stuff. In the U.S. alone, they have 18 registered trademarks, including the traditional &amp;quot;Hells Angels&amp;quot; logo patch and the iconic death\u2019s head. They also have additional trademark registrations worldwide.\n\nOf course for most, a subpoena from the club would come with fears of actual, physical reprisal, but apparently those fears are ungrounded. Kevin Drucker, a lawyer for Headgear, Inc., which was sued in 2008, told the Times, &amp;quot;the impression I was left with was that when they litigate, they do so civilly.&amp;quot;\n\nSome of the lawsuits over the years have been aimed at companies like Marvel Comics, which named a character Hell\u2019s Angel, and Company 81, a clothing brand (81 is the official Hells Angels number, 8 being for &amp;quot;H&amp;quot; and 1 being for &amp;quot;A&amp;quot;). When asked about the number 81, Hells Angels head Sonny Barger said, &amp;quot;We don\u2019t let anybody use it but us.&amp;quot; And should someone try? &amp;quot;I wouldn\u2019t ask them, I\u2019d take it.&amp;quot; So there you go, good to see some things don\u2019t change.\n\nHow this will affect motorcycle gangs in popular culture remains to be seen, but hopefully next year\u2019s final season of Sons of Anarchy won\u2019t involve 13 straight episodes of Jax Teller signing affidavits."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.gq.com/story/hells-angels-use-lawsuits-courts-to-protect-brand>