Interesting conversations going on at Twitter concerning the term Urban Homesteading. Apparently a business in Los Angeles named Darvaes claims to own the right to the term. They operate a web page titled, Path to Freedom where they explain why they feel they have a trademark on the term, as well as others. Here is the post. The following is a list of tradmarked terms Path to Freedom say's are owned by someone, somewhere. "SQUARE FOOT GARDENING, EDIBLE LANDSCAPING, SEEDS OF CHANGE, THE PIONEER WOMAN, SIMPLE LIVING, LOCAVORE, HOMESTEAD GARDENS, BACKYARDFARMS, GAIA, VEGE, HONEYBEES, HOMEGROWN, BIODIESEL, BICYCLING, GARDENER, URBAN HOME, GARDEN, COMPOST MASTER, HOMEGROWN HARVEST, LIVING HOMEGROWN, HOMEGROWN HIPPIE, PLANT THE SEED, GARDEN GIRL, URBAN FARMING, HOBBY FARM, URBAN FARM, BIODYNAMIC, GROW BIOINTENSIVE, SLOW FOOD, CERTIFIED ORGANIC BY CCOF, If anyone is offended by these common trademarks, please contact the respective trademark owners!"

Apparently their fans decided to take them up on their suggestion to "contact the receptive trademark owners". The outcry from former fan's of the Dervaes has hit a nerve with the business as they Tweeted just a couple of hours ago, "know the facts before you (re)Act. Stop the 'mob of misinformation' and insighting malicious emails and harassing phone calls." Here is a link to the Twitter page #Urban Homestead. This is where former fan's (the mob) of the business are venting their outrage.

The terms listed above are commonly used by people all the time without problem. What got the Darvaes in trouble was they started to send notices to bloggers, libraries, and other that we're using the term, urban homesteading. They threatened the very people who have been their biggest fans and helped spread the word, bloggers.  It will be interesting to watch this and see what happens. They have had to close their Facebook Page because of the outrage. The continuing attempt to keep people from using the term is only going to erode any goodwill the business has left. Once you start a fight with your customers it's over. Calling them a mob doesn't help either.