Backcountry
Industry News
Well, that escalated quickly! A story broken by the Colorado Sun last week about Backcountry.com filing trademark lawsuits against other companies with ‘Backcountry’ in their name spread like wildfire around the internet, to the point where #BoycottBackcountry was trending on Twitter and a Facebook group called Boycott BackcountryDOTcom had gained 15,000 followers.
Less than a week later, the CEO of Backcountry.com Jonathan Nielson has broken the silence, publishing an open letter to their site on Wednesday, apologizing and admitting they ‘made a mistake’, and also announcing their decision to drop a pending lawsuit against Marquette Backcountry Skis, a snowshoe-ski hybrid.
Here’s the letter below, in full:
A Letter to Our Community
Dear Backcountry Community,We have heard your feedback and concerns, and understand we fumbled in how we pursued trademark claims recently. We made a mistake.
In an attempt to protect the brand we have been building for nearly 25 years, we took certain actions that we now recognize were not consistent with our values, and we truly apologize.
It’s important to note that we tried to resolve these trademark situations amicably and respectfully, and we only took legal action as a last resort. That said, we know we mishandled this, and we are withdrawing the Marquette Backcountry action. We will also reexamine our broader approach to trademarks to ensure we are treating others in a way that is consistent with the culture and values envisioned by our founders and embraced by our community.
We only want what’s best for the whole community and we want every person and business in it to thrive. Backcountry has never been interested in owning the word “backcountry” or completely preventing anyone else from using it. But we clearly misjudged the impact of our actions.
We understand that this step we’ve taken may not be enough for some of you. The hope is that we can ultimately win back your trust, even if it takes time. We are grateful to be a part of your lives, providing you with great gear for your outdoor adventures, and all we want is to go back to doing what we do best. We intend to learn from this and become a better company.
Maybe too little too late, the damage has been done and thousands have already pledged never to use the company again.
phony apology
until they reimburse their many victims for legal fees, time spent, and other associated losses, i’ll never shop with them again and i’ll make sure all my friends do the same
I here by proclamate any persons sporting the bc goat be shamed and labeled a gaper from here forth. Let it be known or u shall forever ski ice!
Still the best logo in outdoor sports IMO
Best logo? Who gives a f%!k! That’s like your opinion man. The way they bullied businesses that dont even compete in the same industry is unacceptable. Online sales are killing small family run shops where the actual ski community exists.
Wll shaa…the term backcountry btw is not ‘novel’ at all and was widely used I am sure before backcountry.com registered it’s bs trademark
cmon people ya really are showing lot of intelligence here
but thanks for posting the letter and writing the letter
Am far from perfect myself