 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
WWF SmackdownCompiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times, In the case of the warm and fuzzies versus the wild and well-oiled, it's the animals -- the four-legged type -- who have come out on top. The World Wildlife Fund, best known for its efforts to protect the panda and other endangered species, has been upset with the World Wrestling Federation, best known for musclebound men who beat each other with chairs, over the use of the initials WWF. On Friday in London, Justice Robin Jacob ruled that the wrestling group had breached a 1994 agreement that limited its use of the initials. In a written judgment, Jacob said it was understandable the animal fund did not want to be associated with the wrestling group. "Some would say its (the federation's) glorification of violence is somewhat unsavory," Jacob said. Jacob acknowledged it might cost the federation up to $50-million to change its logo, but said some of its arguments in court had been "hopeless" or "astonishingly poor." The wildlife fund argued that worldwide exposure for wrestling had increased because of television and the Internet, leading to more widespread use of the initials by the federation. The wildlife fund (www.wwf.org) and the wrestling federation (www.wwf.com) have almost identical Web site addresses. Anita Neville, spokeswoman for the wildlife fund, said the judgment "means that our name and reputation is upheld." Jacob said the wresting organization will be permitted a limited use of the initials in the United States but will no longer be able to use that Web site address, though it remained active Friday. Costs and damages are to be decided in October. "We're not surprised by today's ruling," said the wrestling federation's spokesman, Judd Everhart. "But we think it's erroneous and we intend to appeal."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
