So there’s this group of small-town ministers in Wisconsin who own a Volkswagen Beetle with the words “God Squad” written on the door, and now Best Buy wants to take them down with a cease-and-desist letter.
Father Luke Strand came up with the idea to create a God Squad car more than two years ago, as a way of promoting the message of Christ and to garner some passing glances from motorists on the street.
It was never intended to be used for commercial purposes and doesn’t even really advertise anything. Strand doesn’t offer any sort of “God Squad” services, other than the typical kind of advice and support you’d expect from any minister.
But the fact that the God Squad logo looks so similar to Geek Squad, and the use of a Volkswagen Beetle just adding insult to injury, has led Best Buy to threaten legal action against the preacher of God.
Fellow priest Dan Janasik said in an interview with local news outlet the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “It’s obviously not a Best Buy vehicle. When people see the car in public they usually laugh, and then it leads into lots of great conversations with strangers about faith and God.”
But we all know Best Buy, and it is more concerned with flexing its muscles than appreciating a harmless use of its likeness for a holy purpose. Best Buy PR senior manager Paula Baldwin tried to sound as diplomatic as possible, saying, “This was a really difficult thing for us to do because we appreciate what Father Strand is trying to accomplish with his mission. But at the end of the day, it’s bad precedent to let some groups violate our trademark while pursuing others.”
Well, sure, Best Buy will probably convince Strand to modify the logo on his car, but really, in the end, what does it accomplish? Best Buy stands to gain absolutely nothing from this, but hey, when you pay corporate lawyers six-figure salaries to sit around in an office all day you gotta at least do something.
