Dana Williams, the former mayor of Park City, has filed paperwork with the United States Patent and Trademark Office indicating he will potentially challenge Park City Mountain Resort owner Vail Resorts’ application to trademark the words ‘Park City’ as they apply to the name of a mountain resort.
Williams was one of a series of individuals or business interests to submit paperwork in recent days, as the Patent and Trademark Office accepts formal opposition to the application by Vail Resorts. The number approached 20 by midday on Monday.
The flurry of filings comes in the days before Mayor Jack Thomas and the Park City Council are scheduled to discuss whether City Hall will file a formal opposition. The municipal government has secured additional time from the Patent and Trademark Office to decide. The deadline is Thursday. City Hall has been given until July 9.
The mayor and City Council are expected to discuss the matter on Thursday. It seems likely some of the individuals or firms who filed paperwork will attend.
In an interview on Monday, Williams said the trademark move by Vail Resorts is an attempt to “take a name away from a community and turn it into a corporate logo.”
“The name connotes a lifestyle. It connotes a sense of community that’s beyond Vail, beyond Park City municipal,” Williams, who served three terms in office ending in early 2014, said.
The mayor and City Council are poised to address the issue at a meeting on Thursday. Detailed information about the meeting is expected to be released late on Monday or Tuesday.