[Not to be confused with Stumpjumper]
[UPDATES: A reader has posted the cease and desist letter from Specialized. See it here. (PDF)
*Specialized responds.]
North Portland based Mountain Cycle and global bike giant Specialized Bicycle Components of Morgan Hill, California are locked in a disagreement that neither side is backing down from. At issue is Mountain Cycle’s use of, “Stumptown” which has been the model name for their cyclocross bike since 2003.
According to Specialized’s legal department, Stumptown is “confusingly similar” to Stumpjumper, a model name Specialized has used since 1981. Specialized is demanding that Mountain Cycle “cease and desist” from using the name immediately and that they remove all current stock and references to the model from their marketing materials.
So far no lawsuit has been filed, but at this point there seems to be no budging from either side.
According to this wikipedia entry the term Stumptown was coined way back in 1847. I also wonder if Specialized is being a bit extra-sensitive because this year is the 25th anniversary of the Stumpjumper.
Do you think Specialized is being a bully…or do you think they have a real beef here?