EPIC Cigars Goes Down…But Not Quite. | Cigar Reviews by the Katman

I got this long letter in the form of an email telling me that Dean Parson’s EPIC Cigars has no right to use that name and I must remove all evidence of my reviews of his cigars.
Here it is:

Communication Cigar Review by the Katman

Promotion and/or Rating of ‘Epic Cigars’.

Mr. Kohn,

the pleasure to bring again to your knowledge, that the EPIC Trademark & Brand Name belongs to Mr. Sylvain Claude Bischoff, and we will to introduce you some Legal facts in certain intellectual property matters in the Dominican Republic and in the USA.

This letter serves as formal notice and communication that the brand EPIC CIGARS that you promote and rate in USA is in Trademark Infringement in the Dominican Republic and in Origin Country Infringement.

The usage of the EPIC name by Charles Fairmon Company and/or Dean Parson and/or ‘Epic Cigars’ Tobacco business and related activities in Dominican Republic affiliated with this name and usage, which bear a confusingly similar instance of Mr. Bischoff’s Trademark, are without the authorization or consent of Mr. Bischoff and therefore your usage of rating and promotion in your website Halfwheel.

We warn you and kindly inform, that the Tobacco’s Products promoted by your Web page Cigar Reviews by the Katman from Charles Fairmon Company and/or Dean Parson and/or ‘Epic Cigars’ are in Trademark Infringement of Dominican Industrial & Intellectual Rights, and also that only Mr. Bischoff can make, manufacture, sell, distribute, Import and Export Tobacco in the Dominican Republic under the Name Epic protected by a Registration under the Category 34 of the International Classification of Nice, Tobacco & all the products in connection with tobacco and related products and so the continued use of Epic name in Cigars, Rings, Boxes, Warranty Seal, etc… in and from the Dominican Republic or as Dominican Product without authorization may constitute infringement of Mr. Bischoff’s established rights.

We assume that with this letter, and our previous message you are now aware of our rights in the EPIC Dominican trademark. However, for the record, please be advised that our proprietary rights in the EPIC name as evidenced by the Dominican Registration of the brand at the ONAPI. We keep at your disposition a true and correct copy of the trademark registration Certificate as on file with the ONAPI, National Institute of Industrial Property under the Registration Number # 220651, for your reference as Exhibit, you can also find it at the Official Page :

http://www.onapi.gov.do/busqueda-consulta.html

Please note that an ‘Epic cigars’ Factory, ‘Epic cigars’ Boxes Factory, EPIC Commercial Name and EPIC Registered Brand are NOT existing in the Dominican Republic which has to be considered as Misleading Advertising in the USA by the American Law, as you can read on the Epic Cigars Web Page.

So to resume your Web Page Cigar Reviews by the Katman in the USA is making the promotion and rating of Tobacco’s Products under the name EPIC CIGARS coming from the Dominican Republic where no trademark, no registration in Commercial Name, and therefore no ‘Epic Cigars’ Factory and ‘Epic Cigars’ Company are existing, which has to be considered for Dean Parsons and/or ‘Epic Cigars’ as a misleading advertisement in the United States of America and a Dominican Trademark Infringement BECAUSE your Web Page Cigar Reviews by the Katman is promoting and rating the ‘Epic Cigars’ AS Dominican Product and using the Dominican Republic as the COUNTRY OF ORIGIN of the product that your Web Page is promoting and rating online.

In order to close our communication on this matter, we demand you to remove the mention of the Dominican Republic and/or pictures bearing the Dominican Republic as Country of Origin for the ‘American’ product Epic Cigars which can’t be done and coming from the Dominican Republic unless by Mr Bischoff, please reconsider your promotion and/or rating of the tobacco’s products in USA bearing the name EPIC CIGARS or any Tobacco’s Product originating from Charles Fairmon Company and/or Dean Parson and/or ‘Epic Cigars’ in particular and from the Dominican Republic in general for the products bearing the EPIC CIGARS name and brand.

Sylvain Claude Bischoff

Hacienda Cibao Viejo,

Villa del Yaque,

Villa Gonzalez, 51 000

Dominican Republic

Just got a reply from Dean Parsons about this subject:
“Hi Phil,
Thank you for your message. Please ignore this guy. He has been harassing a lot of my retailers. He does have the DR trademark and I have my attorney taking action against him. He is out for a money grab. I do not sell in the DR and I own the USA, Canada and European trademarks.
Best regards,
Dean”