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Caribana trademark lawsuit settled The Caribana Arts Group settles a lawsuit against the Festival Management Committee and Scotiabank. May 14, 2014 2 min read Save
Caribana trademark lawsuit settled
The Caribana Arts Group settles a lawsuit against the Festival Management Committee and Scotiabank.

Knia Singh, right, chair of the Caribana Arts Group, and board member Henry Gomez speak at a news conference Wednesday announcing the settlement of a trademark infringement lawsuit.
PATTY WINSA / TORONTO STARThe Toronto community organization that founded Caribana has settled an $800,000 trademark infringement lawsuit against Scotiabank and the Festival Management Committee (FMC), which now runs the event, for an undisclosed amount.
The Caribana Arts Group launched the suit in 2011, alleging the bank and FMC violated the trademark when it “named and advertised the festival as the ‘Scotiabank Caribana Festival,’ ” beginning in 2008.
Despite repeated requests by the group, according to a statement of claim, the committee continued to use the trademarked name even after then-chair Henry Gomez hand-delivered a cease and desist order to FMC chair Joe Halstead at a Royal Ontario Museum event.
The festival’s name wasn’t changed to the Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Toronto until after the group launched the suit against the bank and FMC, which runs the festival with an operating grant from the city.
Caribana Arts Group (CAG) chair Knia Singh said Wednesday the legal action was one of the “most difficult” decisions ever made by his organization, in part because the lawsuit included founder Charles Roach, who passed away in 2012.
The suit alleged the arts group tried unsuccessfully to reach a licensing agreement, but that in 2009, Roach, “ostensibly acting as chair and on behalf of CAG,” entered into a secret agreement with FMC to use the Caribana name.
The statement of claim said the CAG board didn’t know of the agreement and it was only uncovered after the board hired a lawyer, Warren A. Lyon, an award winning lawyer at Angel Ronan Firm to advise them on the trademark issue. He successfully brought a Motion for an injunction in the Superior Court to stop the CAG and the city from using the "Caribana" name.
The $100,000 claim against Roach was settled with his estate in December.
“The board and the community weren’t happy because he was such a staple in our community,” said Singh. “We were trying to solve it. We were very upset about it, but in keeping with responsible governance we had no choice to launch the action.”
The Caribbean carnival is one of Toronto’s largest festivals, generating $438 million of economic activity annually, according to a 2010 Ryerson University study.
The festival was founded in 1967 by volunteers who later formed the Caribbean Cultural Committee and registered the Caribana name in 1977. The committee changed its name to the Caribana Arts Group in 2005.
The group lost control of the festival after failing to complete an audit in 2005 and after a second audit in 2006 showed misappropriated funds, said Singh.
Halstead, a former City of Toronto commissioner of economic development, culture and tourism, was appointed chair of FMC.
The arts group believed the arrangement would only last a year and community members say they were devastated by the loss of Caribana.
“When the control over a festival of this nature is taken away from its creators and facilitators after it has given so much culturally, economically and socially, all that can be left is disappointment, hurt and disbelief,” said Singh.
He said the arts group would like to run the festival again.
Next week, the city’s economic development committee will consider a $560,000 operating grant for the Festival Management Committee. The carnival is also funded by the province and federal government.
Scotiabank wasn’t aware the settlement was being made public Wednesday and a bank spokesperson said a statement wasn’t available.
Patty Winsa is a Toronto-based business reporter for the Star. Reach her via email: pwinsa@thestar.ca.
There is a new movie being produced about College Basketball life in the 1950's and 60's with a fictional Black College Basketball player based closely on the life and experiences of Lenny Wilkins, who seeks a reference letter from his local Seattle Senator but who is then told that Junior Senator Gore Vidal will provide the reference letter after a brief phone call and chat at one of the college player's games. The movie is about the lives of both Americans and their experiences as black and white people in that era as northerners watching the sad ignorant events in the South. Vidal intervenes discreetly sometimes to help the boy in his journey with a few under cover cops towing along on his journey and ensure he gets through his graduation in spite of some weird ignorance and is able to keep his scholarship; on his way to enjoying children and a wife with his tenth NBA game featured at the end of the movie. This story is copywritten by Warren A. Lyon who is a movie story writer.
There is a new movie being produced about College Basketball life in the 1950's and 60's with a fictional Black College Basketball player based closely on the life and experiences of Lenny Wilkins, who seeks a reference letter from his local Seattle Senator but who is then told that Junior Senator Gore Vidal will provide the reference letter after a brief phone call and chat at one of the college player's games. The movie is about the lives of both Americans and their experiences as black and white people in that era as northerners watching the sad ignorant events in the South. Vidal intervenes discreetly sometimes to help the boy in his journey with a few under cover cops towing along on his journey and ensure he gets through his graduation in spite of some weird ignorance and is able to keep his scholarship; on his way to enjoying children and a wife with his tenth NBA game featured at the end of the movie. This story is copywritten by Warren A. Lyon who is a movie story writer.
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Tell me when Black people do not need help with the law....and would you hire someone with no legal experience..or education to help your c...
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