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Firm Apologizes For Infringement

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By KENNETH KNIGHT

kknight@tampatrib.com

Published: February 4, 2009

NEW TAMPA - An Orange County public relations firm hired to promote a Jan. 24 food festival at Arbor Greene has issued an apology to the New Tampa Community Council for inadvertently using the name Taste of New Tampa.

In a Jan. 28 letter to community council leaders, Larry Vershel, owner of Larry Vershel Communications Inc. in Winter Park, said his company was responsible for the mistake. He assured the group that it would not happen again.

"As the public relations agency for Lennar's Central Florida Division, we recommended naming their weekend promotional program "A Taste of New Tampa," Vershel said in the letter.

"We have certainly been aware of your Taste of New Tampa tradition in the past."

Vershel said he became familiar with the community council-sponsored event when he worked for The Tampa Tribune.

"We are embarrassed that we overlooked it in our recommendation," Vershel said. "It was an honest mistake. We never intended to infringe on your brand."

Jerry Miller, president of the New Tampa Community Council, said the council's leadership group had accepted the apology. Plans are under way to legally register the name "Taste of New Tampa" as an annual community council event, he added.

"It's done; there is not much we can do about it," Miller said, referring to the Lennar event.

The community council issued a letter to its supporters and advertisers Jan. 21 after its members learned the event was being held at Arbor Greene. The council apologized for the confusion and reassured registered organizations that the 16th annual Taste event would be held in April as planned.

In 16 years of hosting the gourmet food festival, the community council had not taken action to legally secure "Taste of New Tampa" as a trademark.

"There are no hard feelings," Miller said. "We will get it taken care of."

Miller said the trademark should be completed by the end of February, if the community council approves it.

Local food festivals using "The Taste" moniker are common throughout the area. There is even a Taste of the NFL.

In his letter to community council leaders, Vershel cited the common use of "Taste of" restaurant promotion events across the state.

"Our promotion was a weekend promotional event at Lennar communities exclusively, not an area-wide celebration," the letter stated.

This year's Taste of New Tampa will be April 19 at the New Tampa Community Park in Tampa Palms. The funds raised will be used to support area Parent Teacher Associations and Parent Teacher Student Associations.

Reporter Kenneth Knight can be reached at (813) 865-4842.

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