[Cap'n Wannabe]

The call has been put out for a General Meeting of the RAAus membership.  Whether it gets up or not depends on whether we get the 100 members necessary to make it happen.  While I can't personally attend, I have added my voice and given my proxy vote, as I believe the RAAus action to be disgusting, and that's putting it lightly.

Michael Linke has posted an open letter on farcebook:

Dear Ben,

An open letter to AOPA and RAAus members and the members of the aviation community

On 17 August (followed by your public statement on 20 August) you expressed concern over RAAus registering the phrase “Freedom to Fly”. On 17 August, we wrote to you and said that we had registered the phrase as a public effort to make sure that it can be widely used in the public sphere by all non-profit organisations engaged in the aviation space, as it has been used liberally in the past by so many.

We agree with that principle and welcome expressing the value and meaning of this phrase in our industry. It may be used openly and without limit by any non-profit aviation organisation. As previously conveyed we encourage AOPA to use the phrase freely. RAAus will do so too, and supports others who seek the freedom to fly to do the same - freely, openly and without restriction.

In due course our registration will expire. We have no present plan to seek re-registration as our wish is to have this phrase used clearly for the benefit of Australian aviation as a whole.

Regards,

Michael Linke

And a rather well-written response:

Mr Linke,
Thank you for your reply. It is rather nicely worded however, I find your actions to this point do not mirror your words. You seem to believe that taking an altruistic response at this stage, saying you “registered the phrase as a public effort to make sure that it can be widely used in the public sphere by all non-profit organisations engaged in the aviation space, as it has been liberally used in the past by so many”, makes this all better and paints your actions in a positive light.

Let me speak to this.

Firstly you have contradicted yourself. It was never registered previously and you state yourself it had been liberally used in the past by so many, so why the need to register it?

Secondly, why would registering a trademark allow it to be used more widely? Would all non-profit organisations who wish to use this phrase “liberally” need to seek licensing from the RAAus?

Thirdly, your are encouraging AOPA to use a phrase freely, something they have been doing for the last 69 years, so now they need RAAus permission to use something that previously required no permission and has been and still is clearly associated with them, both in this country and internationally?

Fourthly, you are, by your own graces, allowing the trademark to expire. So why did you register it in the first place if you believed it was “liberally used” by others in the first place.

Fifthly, how many other non-profit aviation organisations have ever had a problem using this phrase in anything they have ever done? I would dearly love to know what if any other non-profit organisations in this country have ever had an issue with AOPA and the use of the phrase. Or do those other non-profit aviation organisations simply respect that, “freedom to fly” is AOPA’s phrase and they have enough belief in their own organisation to respectfully not effectively steal someone else’s slogan?

Sixthly, I think you can see from the response on social media and the number of emails/contacts you have received on this, that the use of RAAus members money to register someone else’s commonly and internationally recognised phrase as your own was the wrong move on your part, regardless of your apparently altruistic intentions (sic). Perhaps you realise this and are now in “damage control” and trying to “spin this” as best as you can to minimise damage resulting from your decision?

I am an RAAus member. You may believe what you have written above but from everyone I have spoken to, they will be able to see through the spin that is contained in the above letter. The above response is simply a few of the holes I see in your statement.

As a member, I call on the RAAus board to immediately surrender the trademark (what is a few months Mr Linke, if you are going to let it expire anyway?). What they chose to do for those responsible for this, well the members are watching and I hope they show the leadership we all are praying they have.

Kind Regards

Hopefully sanity will prevail..