October 8, 2013
I am writing this in response to most recent slanderous and libelous comments made by ManMat.cz and its affiliates.
I dropped ManMat.cz as one of our manufacturers due to the actions of Jaroslav Soumar (the owner of ManMat.cz). During our cooperation all equipment made by ManMat.cz for Howling Dog Alaska featured our Howling Dog Alaska tags. However Mr. Soumar (ManMat.cz) had been putting Howling Dog Alaska labels even on products which were not made directly for Howling Dog. ManMat.cz was selling those products all over the world for years without our knowledge, and without any compensation to us. There were (and still are) several web sites (distributors of ManMat.cz) that are showing gear with the Howling Dog Alaska logo on it! Howling Dog told Mr. Soumar many times to refrain from using the Howling Dog Alaska name, but he has refused.
We are currently trying to put a stop to this, since this is an infringement of the Howling Dog Alaska trademark. There is a legal action pending against ManMat.cz (Mr. Soumar) in the Czech Republic, since Mr. Soumar was using our name for personal gain without our permission. ManMat.cz affixed Howling Dog Alaska branded tags to products never sold, endorsed, and in some cases outright rejected as unworthy, by Howling Dog Alaska.
Now to answer a couple of questions some of you were asking:
1. Is the trademark ManMat registered under my name in the US?
Yes it is. This is a public record. USPTO Trademark Registration no. 4 167,836
2. Is Howling Dog using similar webbing patterns to those used by ManMat.cz?
Similar, but not identical pattern is used in three of Howling Dog Alaska’s products.
When Howling Dog Alaska began selling mushing products in 1999, the ManMat name and webbing pattern were known only to a small group of people within the Czech Republic. It was Howling Dog Alaska that sold products manufactured by ManMat throughout North America and I, Ivana Nolke, developed new, functioning products suited for the US market. When those products were imported into North America by Howling Dog Alaska for sale, there was a Howling Dog Alaska tag on every item. Howling Dog Alaska, not ManMat, spent money promoting those items. As Howling Dog Alaska’s research and development efforts and designs further increased the sales numbers, that pattern, alongside the Howling Dog Alaska tag, is what Howling Dog Alaska’s customers have come to recognize as the Howling Dog Alaska brand.
Howling Dog Alaska has always operated with a high degree of business ethics and will continue to do so, regardless of the slanderous and libelous comments made by others in the business.
Ivana Nolke
Owner, Howling Dog Alaska