Stitch 'n Bitch

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Stitch 'n Bitch is a phrase that has been used to refer to social knitting groups since at least World War II.[1] Sew Fast/Sew Easy, a New York-based company started an internet guestbook Stitch & Bitch Café in 1998, and was granted use of the term as a service mark in 2002. Published in 2003 was the first in a series of best-selling instructional books on knitting and crochet all titled with the phrase Stitch 'n Bitch. Since 2005, the term has been the focus of a trademark dispute between the New York company and the book author Debbie Stoller.

Contents

[edit] Knitting groups

Stitch 'n Bitch is a name used by knitting groups that meet on a weekly or monthly basis at locations throughout the world. This use of the term originates as early as the Second World War.[1][2] Stitch 'n Bitch clubs are generally casual groups of knitters who meet in bars or cafes for socializing and sharing knitting advice.

[edit] Sew Fast/Sew Easy

Stitch and Bitch Cafe ad which ran in The L Magazine, June 2007.
Stitch and Bitch Cafe ad which ran in The L Magazine, June 2007.

Sew Fast Sew Easy claims to have created NYC's first Stitch and Bitch group[3] in 1997.[2] The company started an internet guestbook, the Stitch and Bitch Cafe, in 1998.[4] In 2002, Sew Fast/Sew Easy was granted a registration of their service mark. The registered uses of Stitch & Bitch Café were in relation to "sewing instruction and manuals" and "on line chat rooms .. concerning sewing.." No claim to the exclusive use of the word Café apart from the mark was made.[4]

Sew Fast/Sew Easy sells a product line branded with the phrase Stitch & Bitch Café that supports their service mark. They also sell products branded with the phrase Stitch & Bitch. [5] This use of the Stitch & Bitch mark was applied for through the USPTO in 2005 and has not yet been approved as a trademark. As of 2007, this application is suspended.[6] In 2007, Sew Fast/Sew Easy added more products through a CafePress.com account. That same year they began marketing instructional materials for knitting, sewing, and crocheting as the "live version of the Stitch & Bitch Cafe." Stitch & Bitch Cafe also now sells yarn, knitting patterns, knitting needles and crochet hooks.

[edit] Book series

The cover of the first book in the series of knitting books by Debbie Stoller, Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook.
The cover of the first book in the series of knitting books by Debbie Stoller, Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook.

A 2003 book by Debbie Stoller, Stitch 'n Bitch : The Knitter's Handbook, sold almost 200,000 copies in the first six months of publication.[7] The book states that Debbie Stoller founded New York City's first Stitch 'N Bitch knitting group. In January 2004, Newsweek reported that Stoller's New York group had inspired spin-offs in Chicago and Los Angeles.[8] A second book in the series, Stitch 'n Bitch Nation includes many vignettes from groups located across America as well as international locations such as England and Japan. As of 2007, there are four books in the series, not including a knitter's journal.

[edit] Disputes

[edit] Sew Fast Sew Easy legal actions

In June 2005, Sew Fast/Sew Easy filed a trademark application for Stitch & Bitch to designate a line of knitting and sewing supplies. As of 2007 this application is suspended.[6] In fall 2005, due to letters claiming trademark infringement from Sew Fast/Sew Easy's lawyers, knitting groups that had accounts with CafePress, an online merchandise site, were forced to remove all items featuring the phrase "Stitch 'n Bitch". Local groups that communicated with each other through Yahoo! Groups were similarly forced to remove "Stitch 'n Bitch" from the name and description of their group.[9] Some groups were deleted, but most groups were able to change their name on Yahoo! to SNB.[10] CafePress and Yahoo! do not evaluate merits of infringement claims, they just protect their interest by removing disputed content.[9]

[edit] Debbie Stoller's legal actions

In May 2004, Stoller made four trademark applications regarding the term Stitch 'N Bitch:

  • Relating to the book series authored by Stoller
  • For a line of bags and cases marketed for knitting materials and supplies
  • Relating to a knitting show on television
  • For a brand of knitting kits

In July 2005, these four trademark applications were denied[11] for being confusingly similar to that of Sew Fast/Sew Easy. In November 2005, Stoller filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel Sew Fast/Sew Easy's trademark Stitch & Bitch Café.[12] In August 2006, Stoller's four trademark applications were reinstated.[11] As of 2007, both Stoller's applications[11] and the cancellation proceedings on Sew Fast/Sew Easy's mark are suspended while the parties engage in settlement discussions.[13]

[edit] Boycott

In February 2006 a website was started at the internet address freetostitchfreetobitch.org, calling for a boycott on Sew Fast/Sew Easy.[14] The boycott was covered in the summer 2006 edition of Knit.1 magazine and the fall 2006 edition of Vogue Knitting.[9][10]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Macdonald, Anne L. (1988). No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting. [New York: Ballantine Books, 302. ISBN 0-345-33906-1. 
  2. ^ a b Elsworth, Catherine. "It's getting bitchy in knitting circles", Telegraph.co.uk, 2006-11-02. Retrieved on 2007-05-25. 
  3. ^ Yun, Helen. "NYC's Best: Craft Stores", timeout.com/newyork, 2007-12-13. Retrieved on 2007-12-17. 
  4. ^ a b United States Patent and Trademark Office (November 28, 2007). "Serial Number: 76026522". . Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Inquiry System Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
  5. ^ Stitch & Bitch Products
  6. ^ a b United States Patent and Trademark Office (November 28, 2007). "Serial Number: 78641350". . Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Inquiry System Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
  7. ^ Campbell, Jane. "It's a knit-in", Independent Online Edition, 2004-03-23. Retrieved on 2007-05-26. 
  8. ^ Scelfo, Julie. "Rock-and-Roll Knitters", Newsweek, January 26, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-11-25. 
  9. ^ a b c Petrovsky, Lesley (Fall 2006). "Tempest in a Tea Cozy". Vogue Knitting. 
  10. ^ a b Krementz, Cheryl (Summer 2006). "Stitch & Bitch Slap". Knit.1. 
  11. ^ a b c (July 15, 2007). "Serial Number: 78417575 Stitch 'N Bitch". . USPTO Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
    (July 15, 2007). "Serial Number: 78417582 Stitch 'N Bitch". . USPTO Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
    (July 15, 2007). "Serial Number: 78417593 Stitch 'N Bitch". . USPTO Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
    (July 15, 2007). "Serial Number: 78417589 Stitch 'N Bitch". . USPTO Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
  12. ^ Abelman, Frayne, and Schwab Attorneys at Law (November 4, 2005). "Petition to Cancel for Registration No. 2,596,818 Stitch & Bitch Cafe" (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
  13. ^ United States Patent and Trademark Office (July 15, 2007). "Cancellation Number: 2045274". . Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Inquiry System Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
  14. ^ Boycott Sew Fast Sew Easy!. Internet Archive (February 2, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-07-15.

[edit] Further reading

  • Debbie Stoller (2003). Stitch 'n Bitch: the knitter's handbook. New York: Workman Publishing Company. ISBN 0-7611-2818-2. 
  • Debbie Stoller (2004). Stitch 'n Bitch Nation. New York: Workman Publishing Company. ISBN 0-7611-3590-1. 
  • Debbie Stoller (2006). Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker. New York: Workman Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0761139850. 
  • Debbie Stoller (2007). Son of Stitch 'n Bitch: 45 Projects to Knit and Crochet for Men (Paperback). New York: Workman Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0761146179. 

[edit] External links