Maryland state Sen. Stephen Hershey Jr. believes he may be a distant relative of Milton S. Hershey, founder of the famous candy company. But that has been no help in the politician’s fight to keep his chocolate brown campaign signs that feature his last name in bold and all caps. Neither has his argument that the bold, blocky letters are from a “common font” and that the Hershey Company’s trademark infringement lawsuit against him threatens his “constitutional rights of freedom of speech, freedom of association, and participation as a candidate in the political process.”
A federal judge ordered Hershey to stop using the knock-off signs. This is just a preliminary injunction, but it suggests that the Hershey Company is likely to win its suit, and state Sen. Hershey will have to dig deep for some new graphic design inspiration.
