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Lake City’s name change to Rocky Top challenged in federal court

Posted at 4:10 pm March 11, 2014
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Lake City Council Approves Rocky Top Name Change

The Lake City Council votes 4-0 in November to change the town’s name to Rocky Top, and Rep. John Ragan said he has draft legislation to approve the name change to introduce in the state legislature.

Note: This story was last updated at 6 p.m.

The Gatlinburg publisher of “Rocky Top”—a bluegrass tune, state song, and unofficial anthem for the University of Tennessee—filed a federal lawsuit on Monday that seeks to prevent Lake City from changing its name to Rocky Top as part of a plan to turn the former coal mining town into a tourist destination.

The publisher, House of Bryant Publications LLC of Gatlinburg, also owns many Rocky Top trademarks, and it believes that the proposed name change for Lake City “is an attempt to unfairly exploit the fame and goodwill of House of Bryant’s intellectual property,” according to a press release from Waddey Patterson, an intellectual property law firm based in Nashville.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Monday. The defendants are Lake City, Rocky Top Tennessee Marketing and Manufacturing Co., Anderson County Commissioner Tim Isbel, Franklin resident Brad Coriell, Lake City businessman Mark Smith, Lake City Vice Mayor Michael Lovely, and Knoxville resident Carl “Buddy” Warren. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Government, Government, Lake City, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Boudleaux and Felice Bryant, Brad Coriell, Carl "Buddy" Warren, Coal Creek, copyright, federal lawsuit, Gary L. Montle, hotel, House of Bryant, House of Bryant Publications LLC, John Ragan, Lake City, Lake City Council, lawsuit, legislation, Mark Smith, Michael Lovely, name change, Randy McNally, restaurant, Rocky Top, Rocky Top Tennessee Marketing and Manufacturing Co. Tim Isble, Tennessee General Assembly, theater, theme park, trademark, U.S. District Court, Waddey Patterson, water park

Lake City recommends Rocky Top name change, but receives copyright warning

Posted at 6:37 pm November 7, 2013
By John Huotari 5 Comments

Lake City Council Approves Rocky Top Name Change

The Lake City Council votes 4-0 on Thursday to recommend changing the town’s name to Rocky Top, and Rep. John Ragan, right, said he has drafted legislation to approve the rechristening in the state legislature.

LAKE CITY—Just hours before a historic vote to change this town’s name for the second time in less than a century, Lake City Mayor Tim Sharp received a legal letter warning him that a proposal to build a Rocky Top theme park here could violate trademark rights and should be dropped.

But project supporters packed City Hall on Thursday, and the Lake City Council pressed on, voting 4-0 to recommend changing the name of this former coal mining town to Rocky Top. It’s the first step in a project to build a multi-million dollar theme park that could include an interactive Knotty Pine 3-D theater, water park, hotel, and restaurant.

The last-minute letter from an intellectual property attorney in Nashville could have Lake City officials and the park’s investors scrambling to answer legal questions. The notice was “very unexpected,” Sharp said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Lake City, Lake City, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Andrew J. Howard, Barry Thacker, Boudleaux Bryant, Brad Coriell, Buck Wilson, Buddy Warren, Coal Creek, Coal Creek Watershed Foundation, David Dezern, Donald Douglas, Felice Bryant, Gary L. Montle, Gary Mullins, House of Bryant, House of Bryant Publications LLC, Lake City, Lake City Council, Louise Nelson, Michael J. Lovely, Rocky Top, Rocky Top Tennessee, Rocky Top Tennessee Marketing and Manufacturing, Shain Vowell, Tennessee General Assembly, theme park, Tim Isbel, Tim Sharp, University of Tennessee Volunteers, Waddey Patterson

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Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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