A trademark spat has erupted in the US ski industry, pitching a Colorado ski resort against the Salt Lake tourism agency.
Steamboat Ski Resort claims Visit Salt Lake’s new ‘Ski City USA’ slogan is too similar to its own ‘Ski Town, U.S.A.’ trademark which it has used for many years.
Steamboat Ski Resort and Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Visit Salt Lake claiming unspecified damages and a share of any profits they make from the name.
"They’re trying to leverage the value we worked hard to create for their own commercial benefit," said resort spokesman Rob Perlman.
Visit Salt Lake spokesman Shawn Stinson said the campaign draws a clear distinction between the two.
"Ski City USA celebrates and promotes the fact that there is a distinct alternative to the ski town experience," Stinson said
The Visit Salt Lake website even has the tagline: ‘Once you’ve stayed in Ski City, you’ll never stay in another ski town.’
Last month when the ‘Ski City USA’ campaign was officially launched, Visit Salt Lake President Scott Beck made no secret of his agency’s attempt to lure skiers away from Colorado.
Last season, Utah attracted 4.1 million day visits from skiers and snowboarders, just a third of the Colorado total of 12.6 million.
