Amos, the Mike Zoss pony, has been gazing out at the consumer from every Mike Zoss product since 1998. Projecting strength and quiet dignity, Amos represents the Mike Zoss values of hard work and honest dealing. The handiwork of artist Alan J. Schoolcraft, Amos’s picture harks back to Schoolcraft’s boyhood on an Ohio farm. “They wanted a symbol like the Michelin Man or the Pillsbury Doughboy, something that would become a beloved image of the firm,” recalls Schoolcraft. “But I only draw barnyard animals.” Schoolcraft’s lavish pictorial reminiscence, Xenia Days, with 28 color plates, is available from Pappas & Swain Books, Toronto.
The image of Amos, the Mike Zoss pony, is a registered trademark of Mike Zoss Productions. Its unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
The Mike Zoss mark and copyrights are zealously guarded by a legal department headed by Patricia Murphy. Mike Zoss litigates every infringement it discovers and makes it a rule never to settle. Ms. Murphy defends the policy: “Yes, at first blush it might seem harsh; just a week ago we had to send someone down to splash paint on a mural of Amos on the wall of a pre-school in Wilmington, Delaware. Apparently the kids thought the horse was pretty. Well, I’m sorry, but you have to do it, or your claim will be eroded to nothing.” Did any of the children weep when the mural was destroyed? “I hear some were upset. But look, it can be a teaching opportunity; these children can learn that the law applies to everyone. And at the end of the day, frankly, I don’t care if you’re five years old or fifty. Intellectual property is our bread and butter. You cannot steal from us, okay? We will take a giant shit on you.”
|
|
 |
|
