SNAP!

The sad thing is that if I try to view WWE.com I get blocked at my job? But, if I try to view TNA.com, I get through? Maybe if Vince went back to WWWF, it would get through the firewall?

Wait, so they can still call it the World Wrestling Federation if they want, just without the scratch logo? If that's the case, then dropped the word "Entertainment" from the name. It sounds DUMB.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Now, they can't call it that. They can only use World Wrestling Federation in a historical context.

So, if they can use it to reference history, how come the old scratch logo is fuzzed out when they show clips of those matches from the past? Correct me if I'm wrong, but they also do this on DVDs as well.

RESPONSE FROM KE: OK, I guess I didn't explain this well enough, so I'll try again. WWE cannot use the scratch logo under ANY circumstances. They also cannout use WWF under ANY circumstances. However, when referencing history, they can use the block logo and the name World Wrestling Federation.

So, like, uh, what your saying is that, like, wwe can use the wwf scratch logo, but only under no circumstance, and wwf block logo can be used all the time whenever, whenever they want to reference history, and can be known as wwwf to 60 year old smarks? My question, sir, is what legal rulings made you decide to not put up the old Kevin eck pic on the ring posts logo? Vintage, vintage eck.

I understand the whole situation. It explains why on the DVD's (like Royal Rumble Anthology and WrestleMania Anthology for examples) they censor anyone saying "WWF" but not World Wrestling Federation. It makes sence the court case was only over the WWF initials.

However since World Wildlife Foundation has gone bankrupt, they should try to sell it back, again unless that goes against the final say on the settlement.

Here's the million dollar question, which was truly first, World Wrestling Federation or World Wildlife Foundation?

RESPONSE FROM KE: The World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) dropped one of the W's and became the WWF in the early '80s. According to Wikipedia, the World Wildlife Fund was founded in 1961.

Still think its ridiculous that the WWE has to cater to World Wildlife Fund over this. All it does is make the World Wildlife Fund look petty.

Are you sure that it's a legal ban preventing them from using the "WWF" acronym? As I recall, Vince said during the trial (not *in* the trial, just while it was going on) that IF they lost the legal battle, they'd change their name and continue using (essentially) the same logo.

I had looked that tidbit up recently online (about a year ago) but I couldn't find it, although I saw an old article citing that they were happy to include "Entertainment" now since it "better described the product itself."

Regardless, I find it interest that wrestling fans don't realize that the "WW_" references on WWE 24/7 are done voluntarily to condition the fans into thinking of them only as "WWE."

PS-- @Aaron Saia, World Wildlife Fund predated the WWWF.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I'm unaware of what Vince said at that time, but it is a fact that they cannot use WWF. That is why it is bleeped out in old footage. It's something they legally have to do -- it's not voluntary.

Will it's cool that they use the wwf logo but you did notest that they never said wwf throughout the whole night all they said was wwe old school even when mean gene was selling the hats and shirts I think I know why they had to say old school because the minute they sais wwf or world wrestling weather it be jerry the king or michael cole thats when the world wildlife fund would say we got them sued even at the start they even scratch out the word federation

Get the 'F' out!

Kevin, I'm honestly not sure about that.. I followed the case VERY closely while it happened and I did a lot of research after the fact as well, and I've never found anything legally preventing them from saying "WWF" on current TV or older footage. My understanding is that the court case legally prevented WWFE from using their scratch logo any further AND, here's the deal breaker: it prevented them from using WWF.com. Therefore, WWFE changed its name in order to use WWE.com, instead of coming up with a new logo and using WWFWrestling.com (or other website).

Regardless, I'll agree to disagree and table this entire discussion, but I wanted to add a footnote to Jeff's second comment about the Fund looking petty. The Fund became so aggressive in pursuing WWFE that it sued for every violation in the first year (taking it a step too far by pursuing WWE's partners to recall the toys & video games with the old logo). Therefore, WWE successfully counter-sued and the Fund wound up paying the legal costs for the trials. Imagine donating money to the World Wildlife Fund, only to have it be used to pay court costs for lawsuits with a wrestling company..

So why no scratch logo ? Not sure you explained that clearly.

Every time I see the WWF/WWF thing I think of this comic from PvP, a webcomic about people at a gaming magazine.

http://www.pvponline.com/2007/11/20/pandamonium-part-7/

What was it about the scratch logo that offended the panda lovers so much?

RESPONSE FROM KE: It wasn't about the scratch logo. That just happened to be the logo the World Wrestling Federation was using at the time that the World Wildlife Fund filed a lawsuit alleging that the wrestling company
violated an international agreement over the international use of the WWF initials

Quick question...

Why did it take the World Wildlife Fund 20 years to sue the WWF for using the initials? What triggered them to all of a sudden have an issue with it?

RESPONSE FROM KE: It had something to do with World Wrestling Federation violated an international agreement over the international use of the WWF initials.

If you believe those internet rumors, i had heard once word had gotten out that the WWF would be arriving in a town, someone in south america i think, when , at the airport, it was the animal group WWF and not the wrestling group WWF, almost all of the several hundred people left, embarassing one of the heads of the animal group, did anyone else hear this or is it just internet rumor, i heard that was the straw that broke the camels back , for years they were mad about WWF name being used but that send them over the edge..

Kev, as a teacher, I have to cringe at your statement:
"According to Wikipedia, the World Wildlife Fund was founded in 1961".
Anyone can adjust information on Wikipedia. I know no harm was implied, but use reliable and factual sites to stop all the conspiracy theories that already abound about you and your reporting.
BTW, I was glad to see WWF logo as that's what I still call it these days.

RESPONSE FROM KE: What conspiracy theories? According to Wikipeia, a conspoiracy theory was originally a neutral descriptor for any claim of civil, criminal, or political conspiracy. How does that apply to my reporting?

@Dan- Awww, it's so cute when people think Wikipedia is a wasteland of misinformation...

http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/History/index.html

For the record, I'd wager 99% of the general information on Wikipedia is factually accurate.

@Gregory Asch- The focus of this entry was to explain why WWE could use the "block" logo. Kevin wasn't trying to explain why they aren't allowed to use the original "scratch" logo (albeit, that happened 8 years ago, so I'm sure a large population of his readers don't know the original story). The bottom line is that the WWF used their "scratch" logo to promote their brand internationally, which infringed upon a prior agreement with the Fund. Their "block" logo was not used for world-wide branding, so when the verdict was made, the ban was only on the newer logo.

@Henry- The breaking point was (A) when the Fed began promoting their logo to become a recognized brand, and (B) because the Fed had WWF.com, which the Fund felt deterred its potential donors from finding them online. Regardless if that legend is true, it wasn't the breaking point (at least, not officially). My critical thinking skills dismiss it altogether though (why would the WWF.org reps care if they were welcomed upon landing in an airport?). The whole Fund/Fed confusion was always played in good fun by both parties - until the "www."

The court say they can't use the WWF scratch logo, because the F looks more like F then the block WWF logo.