The Community of Disc Golfers and About All Things Disc Golf

Another reason Why I hate the PDGA!

Sorry but always hated the PDGA!
This is more reinforcement.
I know there will be some of you that will not like this, but sorry.
This is almost like saying that "REAL" Pro Sports don't have issues.
We are not perfect MR GRAHAM!
http://teamgrunt.blogspot.com/

Replies are closed for this discussion.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Matt Jankowski on January 9, 2009 at 12:32am

Unfortunately we live in a litigious world that lives with a scarcity mentality. How dare you use your own creative expression to entertain, amuse, and heaven forbid profit at the presumed expense of the "mighty machine"(yes that is my tongue in my cheek!) that is the PDGA. At the risk of alienating everyone that supports the PDGA and their complete ineptitude in growing our sport, I will leave it at that.

Permalink Reply by Trevor Thorp on January 9, 2009 at 12:39am

You are upset that someone doesn't like that their copywrited material is being used by someone without consent? As much as I like the logo, it is infiringement. Why are you upset that someone has said something? Come up with something original.

Permalink Reply by Eirik on January 9, 2009 at 12:41am

Well I have a couple of thoughts. The PDGA has spent a lot of time and money becoming what they are. I am happy for them and happy to pay them to let me know I stink at this point. I have spent a lot of donation money in tournaments and pdga fees. But at least I can spell extortion though and maybe you should too.

Permalink Reply by Derek Tonn on January 9, 2009 at 12:53am

Yep, Trevor is 100% correct. PDGA likely paid decent money for that design....and you using it (at least the "PDGA" bit and the basket in the lower left corner) without their permission/consent, regardless of how small/big a club, group or activity? Complain all you want, but you'll lose that argument ten times out of ten.

Three questions:

1. If you hate the PDGA so much, why use their logo in the first place?

2. Why roll with "PDGA Approved" in that graphic? Question #1 would again be raised, but the phrase "PDGA Approved" didn't strike you as something that might get the attention of a few folks and rub them the wrong way? That's probably the clincher...and the reason they decided to grouse...which is well-within their legal right.

3. What the HECK is a "bowl hole?" Probably relates to having distain for Tha Man and raging against the PDGA machine. :-)

There are things about the PDGA that I don't care for personally myself (though there are other things I like very much). However, on this one, they are 100% correct. You failing to ask for their permission in "borrowing" their logo, then railing on them for DARING to say something about it? Good luck winning that argument...

Permalink Reply by Matt Jankowski on January 9, 2009 at 1:03am

I think that the question moe is raising is, why would the PDGA expend any energy on locating, identifying, threatening, prosecuting, alleged or perceived copyright infringement, when that same energy, time, and money could be spent on the advancement of our sport. The PDGA has a complete monopoly over the disc golf market. There is no competing sanctioning body(see: NFL vs AFL or NBA vs ABA) threatening to pry loose the grip that the PDGA has on the disc golf world(definitely not team grunt!) .

Trevor Thorp said:

You are upset that someone doesn't like that their copywrited material is being used by someone without consent? As much as I like the logo, it is infiringement. Why are you upset that someone has said something? Come up with something original.

Permalink Reply by Derek Tonn on January 9, 2009 at 1:19am

Matt Jankowski said: The PDGA has a complete monopoly over the disc golf market.

I'll say the same thing here as I told a friend of mine from college who fell into abusive relationship after abusive relationship: DON'T EVER GIVE YOUR POWER AWAY.

The PDGA doesn't "own" disc golf...WE own disc golf. I actively compete with dozens of players in SW Minnesota, many of whom are solid Intermediate players, who've never had a player rating, never been a member of the PDGA, etc. The PDGA doesn't own them, the courses they play on, the discs they buy. The PDGA also cannot stop them from having 2-3 tournaments/month, having fun or steadily improving their games.

Sounds harsh, but the PDGA is all-but-irrelevant with most of the people that I enjoy the sport with. I try and interact with the MFA (Minnesota Frisbee Association) and PDGA because most of the better players in our region tend to hang with them...and better players can help reduce the learning curve of players going from "beginner" or "okay" to good.

All that said, is it okay for Moe to "borrow" their design without their permission? No. Two wrongs don't make a right. My guess is that they didn't go out looking for infringement either! More than likely some random person saw it, told somebody with the PDGA about it, who told the Executive Director, then the E.D. contacted Moe. Regardless though, PDGA is in the right on this issue.

Permalink Reply by Trevor Thorp on January 9, 2009 at 1:29am

Thank you for saying what I was about too Derek. Brian is busy enough doing what he does. He is not surfing the net looking for people that are using their copywrited material so that he can waste his time emailing them about it.

Permalink Reply by Eirik on January 9, 2009 at 1:32am

I agree, I may have sounded harsh, but seriously it is crap like that that makes us all look like hooligans smoking pot and smashing beer bottles on the course. Not quite metro park friendly IMO.
Trevor Thorp said:

Thank you for saying what I was about too Derek. Brian is busy enough doing what he does. He is not surfing the net looking for people that are using their copywrited material so that he can waste his time emailing them about it.

Permalink Reply by Sappydisc on January 9, 2009 at 1:34am

There probably upset because your making a connection with smoking weed and disc golf at there expence,I thought it was a little amuseing.Discers smoking?What a revelation! I guess they don't have your sence of humor,oh well no biggy,right?

Permalink Reply by Matt Jankowski on January 9, 2009 at 1:37am

Doesn't that PDGA logo look a lot like the NBA logo? So much for originality!

Permalink Reply by Trevor Thorp on January 9, 2009 at 1:45am

Quite the hot thread tonight. Stephen Colbert's guest tonight was a guy that wrote a book about the US' outdated copywrite laws. He says people doing creative things with other peoples work is OK. I think there are plenty of artists out there that don't care for this guys opinion.

Permalink Reply by Eirik on January 9, 2009 at 1:45am

Sappydisc said:

There probably upset because your making a connection with smoking weed and disc golf at there expense,I thought it was a little amusing.Discers smoking?What a revelation! I guess they don't have your sense of humor,oh well no biggie,right?