This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. has filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming Visit Salt Lake's promotion as Ski City USA infringes on the Colorado resort's Ski Town, U.S.A. trademark.
The suit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court for Colorado against Visit Salt Lake and the four Cottonwood canyons' resorts it promotes — Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude.
"Steamboat Ski Resort is well known around the globe as Ski Town, U.S.A.," said Rob Perlman, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Steamboat, which is owned by Intrawest. "The Visit Salt Lake campaign creates confusion and tries to take advantage of our registered trademark for their own commercial purposes."
Visit Salt Lake rejected the notion that its moniker will spawn confusion in the minds of potential visitors. "To the contrary," said spokesman Shawn Stinson, "the Ski City USA campaign seeks to differentiate the two experiences rather than capitalize on any existing brand.
Ski City USA celebrates and promotes the fact that there is a distinct alternative to the 'ski town' experience," he added. "As host of the 2002 Winter Olympics, Ski City USA offers a very different experience than any of the wonderful ski towns throughout North America."
When the $1.8 million campaign was unveiled in mid-September, Visit Salt Lake and local government officials emphasized said the new theme — with the tagline "Once you've stayed in a Ski City, you'll never stay in a ski town" — emphasized the proximity of the Cottonwood canyons' resorts to a major metropolitan area with 1,300 restaurants and hundreds of hotels as well as arts and culture, professional sports and an international airport.
By contrast, Steamboat Springs is about 150 miles from Denver and has a population of close to 12,000 full-time residents.
Perlman said Steamboat has used the term Ski Town, U.S.A. since 1959 and has registered the phrase with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
"Visit Salt Lake and the four participating resorts are violating our intellectual property rights and need to go back to the drawing board on their advertising campaign," he added.