>> >>: ONLINE OUT RAGE FORCED DISNEY TO DROP ITS BID TO TRADE MARK THE PHRASE DIA DE LOS
MUERTOS.
THE MEGA COMPANY FOUGHT EXCLUSIVE DOMAIN TO SELL MERCHANDISE WITH THE NEW PICKS AR FILM
INSPIRED BY THE HOLIDAY.
THE MEXICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY WASN'T HAVING IT.
AND SOCIAL MEDIA LIKE TWITTER AND FACEBOOK INSURED THEIR VOICES WERE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR.
JOHN ROSSMAN SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR FOR KPBS FRONTERAS DESK JOINS ME NOW.
THIS IS YET AGAIN ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA.
BEFORE WE GET INTO THAT, TELL ME THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS HOLIDAY FOR MEXICANS AND CENTRAL AMERICANS.
>> >>: RIGHT, SO DIA DE LOS MUERTOS IS CELEBRATED ALL THROUGHOUT LATIN AMERICA.
IT ORIGINATED IN MEXICO AND IS A HUGE NATIONAL HOLIDAY THERE.
THE HOLIDAY IS REALLY ABOUT CELEBRATING AND COMMEMORATING THOSE IN YOUR FAMILY WHO HAVE
PASSED AWAY.
BUT IT'S ALSO KIND OF ABOUT RECONNECTING WITH THEM.
IT'S A DAY WHERE YOU SOME BUILD ALTERS, YOU BRING PHOTOS, MAKE THEIR FAVORITE MEAL, AND
IT'S A DAY WHERE IT'S MORE THAN JUST REMEMBERING YOU'RE ABLE TO KIND OF CONNECT WITH SOMEONE
WHO'S PASSED AWAY.
SO IT'S A HALL DAY THAT'S REALLY AS YOU CAN IMAGINE EXTREMELY IMPORT TONIGHT MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE.
>> >>: DISNEY FILED TO TRADE MARK THIS PHRASE, DIA Y DE LOS MUERTOS, WHAT KIND OF MERCHANDISE
DID IT WANT TO SECURE THIS NAME FOR?
>> >>: THEY FILED 10 TRADE MARK APPLICATIONS AND IT'S EASIER TO THINK OF IT, THEY FILED
I THINK LIKE 19 FOR THE MOVIE TOY STORY.
SO IT'S THE SAME THING, T SHIRTS, FRUIT SNACKS, SHOES, THEY WERE FILING THESE TRADE MARKS
BECAUSE THAT WAS GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, THE POTENTIAL TITLE OF THEIR FILM, DIA DE LOS
MUERTOS, SO THEY WANTED TO PROTECT THEIR ASSETS THAT KIND OF FALL UNDER THE TITLE OF THAT
FILM.
>> >>: SO WALK ME THROUGH THIS STORY, JOHN.
DISNEY FILLS OUT THE TRADE MARK APPLICATION, WHO BROKE THE STORY?
>> >>: SO IT WAS THE SMALL KIND OF TRADE JOURNAL THAT FOLLOWS DISNEY.
THEY WROTE ABOUT THEM FILING THESE TRADE APPLICATIONS AND FOR THIS UPCOMING MOVIE THAT PICKS AR
IS MAKING.
ONE OF OUR REPORTERS MONICA FOUND IT AND SHE KIND OF BROUGHT IT UP IN OUR MORNING NEWS
MEETING.
WHILE SHE WAS TALKING I LOOKED ONLINE AND SAW THAT IT WAS T KIND KIND OF HADN'T BEEN
UP YET.
SO I WROTE AN ARTICLE, I DID A MAD DASH BECAUSE WHEN YOUR ONLINE AND EVERYTHING HAS KIND OF
A RACE TO BE FIRST, AND WHILE MONICA WAS ALSO KIND OF DOING REPORTING AND WE WERE WORKING
TOGETHER ON IT.
SO WE GOT IT UP, AND THEN JUST KIND OF PUSH TD OUT TO SOCIAL MEDIA.
THEN IT JUST STARTED TAKING A LIFE ON ITS OWN.
I MONITOR WEB TRAFFIC AND YOU CAN JUST SEE IT SNOW BALLING.
IF YOU FOLLOWED US ON TWITTER ON THAT DAY YOU WERE PROBABLY REALLY ANNOYED BECAUSE THAT'S
ALL WE WERE REALLY TALK ABOUT.
>> >>: IN FACT, WE HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE RESPONSE TO DISNEY'S PLAN.
HERE IT IS.
AND SO NEWS GETS OUT, AS YOU SAID, AND THERE IS A MEXICAN WOMAN IN COLORADO WHO HAPPENS
TO BE A HEALERMENT.
SHE STARTS AN ONLINE PETITION.
WHAT WAS THE RESPONSE TO THAT PETITION?
>> >>: IT WAS THE SAME AS EVERYTHING ELSE.
IT WAS A PETITION ON CHANGE.ORG, TELLING DISNEY TO REMOVE THIS.
I THINK ALSO JUST BEING COGNIZANT OF HOW IMPORTANT THIS HOLIDAY IS, AND WHAT A BIG, YOU KNOW,
MISSIGHT THIS WAS ON DISNEY'S PART.
TODAY IT HAS OVER 21,000 SIGNATURES.
REALLY, WHAT THAT GREW TO BE WAS JUST A TESTAMENT OF HOW OUT RAGED PEOPLE WERE ON THE SITE.
THERE'S ALSO TESTAMENT OF HOW THE NEW MEDIA ORDER I THERE'S THIS PETITION AND IT'S KIND
OF A PART OF THIS GROWING OUT CRY, AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, SYPHONING THAT, AND THEN ABLE TO
BE A VEHICLE FOR CHANGE.
>> >>: WHAT DO YOU THINK THE LESSON IS, THE SOCIAL MEDIA LESSON, IN ALL OF THIS?
>> >>: THE SOCIAL MEDIA LESSON, I THINK THERE'S A COUPLE OF LESSONS.
FIRST IT'S BEEN REPORTING THAT THE SLEEPING GIANT THE LATINO POPULATION IN AMERICA IS
WAKING UP, AND THEY HAVE A HUGE VOICE, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO TAP INTO THAT.
FOX NEWS LATINO, NBC LATINO, PITA LATINO, IT'S THIS GROWING POWER AND I THINK MAYBE
DISNEY, YOU KNOW, A PART OF THEM WERE TRYING TO TAP INTO IT TOO.
THEY'RE MAKING THIS MOVIE THAT CELEBRATES THIS HUGE, IMPORTANT HOLIDAY, MAYBE IT WAS
JUST A MISSTEP, BUT BECAUSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, IT'S FAR MORE TRANSPARENT AND FAR MORE OUT
RAGE.
HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE LEARNED A LOT.
>> >>: HAS THERE BEEN SIMILAR EFFORTS BY OTHER COMPANIES BEFORE TO TRADE MARK A HOLIDAY?
>> >>: UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S KIND OF A COMPLEX QUESTION.
THERE IS ONE TRADE MARK FILING UNDER FOR DIA DE LOS MUERTOS, SOME HOUSTON COMPANY THAT
DOES THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO THEATER THINGS LIKE THAT.
I THINK DISNEY'S THEIR REAL TAKE AWAY WE WERE TRYING TO TRADE MARK THIS MOVIE, LET'S MOVE
ON.
WE WEREN'T TRYING TO TRADE MARK A HALL HOLIDAY, AND INDIVIDUALS ON SOCIAL MEDIA EMPHASIZED
THAT.
>> >>PEGGY: THANK YOU FOR COMING IN TODAY; JOHN ROSSMAN.