Arghh - BE has sent me an email about my horses name!

[Shrek-Eventing-SW]

Okay, I joined my pony (shrek) with BE yesterday. Today I received an email from them saying this:

Dear Emma,



Thank you for applying for the registration for the above horse Shrek. Unfortunately in the current litigious climate we do have to ask that people now obtain permission from the relevant company for horses with names that can be associated with them i.e. Registered trade name etc. You may have read in the press fairly recently that Land Rover were unhappy with their name being used without permission and took action to prevent this. We would not like this to happen to one of our members and so we are writing to all members who are registering horses whose names may have some connection with a trademark or product to warn them of this possibility.



Please could you confirm, either by letter or email, that DreamWorks Animation L.L.C is happy for you to use the above name for your horse. Upon receiving this confirmation we can let your registration stand or if permission is refused please can you let us have a new name as soon as possible.



Alternatively if you wish to choose another name then please let us know and we can check for you if this name is available.



To contact address for DreamWorks is:

DreamWorks Animation L.L.C

1000 Flower Street

Glendale

United States

91201



So basically, I have to email America to ask them if I can use the name Shrek to compete

It says alternatively that I can change his name, however Shrek is the name on his passport. Would I be allowed to make up a different name and use it even though it isn't on his passport? Thank you and sorry for it being so long

 

[kerilli]

i'd ask BE if you can change it slightly, call him something like "Feeling Shrekish" which you won't have to get permission for.
or, email Dreamworks... good luck! they might well have a sense of humour about it...

 

[FigJam]

I'd email Dreamworks as a first move- you may as well, if you don't ask, you don't get!

Who knows, could be the start of a beautiful, green sponsorship deal?!

If they say no, I'd then speak to BE regarding the name change/passport issue. If they're forcing you to register him under a different name to his passport, surely they can't expect you to fork out (what could be a substantial amount of £) on an official passport name change also?

 

[jumptoit]

I'd email dreamworks and see, if not change it like Kerilli said.

I didn't hear about the land rover thing anyone else like to fill me in? I remember the Rolex -> Goldex thing though!

 

[brushingboots]

When i did something with my pony
Wotsit
i got told to email wotsits and ask if it was ok

usually say its fine though

 

[jumptoit]

I don't think the passport thing will be an issue, due to the cost to add a name to a Weatherbys passport mine has it written on in ballpoint pen and is accepted.

 

[IncaCola]

I agree that it is worth contacting Dreamworks first. However if you do have to use another name I am pretty sure you will have to change his name on the passport as well, but obviously check this with BE.

 

[Shrek-Eventing-SW]

How would I write the email to dreamworks?

 

[SpottedCat]

This happened to someone I know - and the company refused permission because it was a French brand and they said they'd only allow a french rider to use it!

I would simply email dreamworks and if they say no then ask BE what you do about the passport situation - I would imagine BE can overstamp it or something similar for the purposes of having it checked.

 

[Zebedee]

Someone who had a horse called Abby National 9name on passport) had to register the horse with BE as Abby Girl. Wasn't a problem, you don;t have to change the name on the passport.

 

[SpottedCat]

[ QUOTE ]
Someone who had a horse called Abby National 9name on passport) had to register the horse with BE as Abby Girl. Wasn't a problem, you don;t have to change the name on the passport.

[/ QUOTE ]

You need something though surely? Because I got stuck in a queue at an event one year where the girl had entered under the show name but passport was in the stable name. The event refused point blank to accept it and made her ring her vet who confirmed to the event vet that the horse had been vaccinated and was the one on the passport. It was a complete pain and the girl was very stressed by it!

 

[jumptoit]

SC - 1 of mine is written on in pen so not official, 1 has the stable name and the other is correct and I have never had them queried.

I have various reasons why they aren't up to date, one being the fact being don't mind for Whetherbys passports as the cost to change them is so high and so many don't have names and the other was registered pre passport rule.

 

[Zebedee]

Diagram/microchip should confirm ID beyond reasonable doubt - don't forget continental passports don't have the names in at all - only the breeding.

 

[SpottedCat]

[ QUOTE ]
SC - 1 of mine is written on in pen so not official, 1 has the stable name and the other is correct and I have never had them queried.

I have various reasons why they aren't up to date, one being the fact being don't mind for Whetherbys passports as the cost to change them is so high and so many don't have names and the other was registered pre passport rule.

[/ QUOTE ]

So you do have something then - just in pen!

 

[jumptoit]

No, one of them has the stable name rather than the name she is registered in and they don't seem to mind I haven't added the competition name or thought about doing it tbh.

 

[SpottedCat]

[ QUOTE ]
No, one of them has the stable name rather than the name she is registered in and they don't seem to mind I haven't added the competition name or thought about doing it tbh.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well be careful then - this entries sec was not going to let the girl compete unless she got hold of the vet and had it verified. It made her horrendously late IIRC, she was really quite upset by it! This was at Bath and West, so not some high level event either. After all, what's to stop you not bothering with vaccs and just turning up with another passport?

 

[CastleMouse]

I know someone who had to request permission to name their racehorse a couple of years ago... It involved sending a letter to the industrialist's widow in America to see if it was OK to use her husband's name.

Frustrating, but there's a reason you have to.

 

[jumptoit]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
No, one of them has the stable name rather than the name she is registered in and they don't seem to mind I haven't added the competition name or thought about doing it tbh.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well be careful then - this entries sec was not going to let the girl compete unless she got hold of the vet and had it verified. It made her horrendously late IIRC, she was really quite upset by it! This was at Bath and West, so not some high level event either. After all, what's to stop you not bothering with vaccs and just turning up with another passport?

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for that, I'll get my vet to add it to mine, the Northern events tend to be a bit behind the rest of the country with efficiency tbh! I know people who have realised after the event (BE) their vaccinations were out of date and nothing was mentioned despite the passport being checked for ages!

 

[rotters13]

RE Spotted Cat: That has happened to me! I was at Munstead and had competed my horse all year with a different name on her passport than at BE without a problem but they refused it and I had to have their on call vet out to my box to verify it was the same horse! And I don't want to have to send the passport as it will cost £££ and I would have to send it off to Poland!!

 

[jumptoit]

Amazonia - I am going to get my vet when he comes for vaccinations to add it in pen and sign it for the one with the stable name and then ask him to sign the one with the unofficially added competition name in too, hopefully that should be ok

.

 

[daisycrazy]

If Dreamworks don't agree, you could change the name to Shrekh.

The passport I had for my horse originally was different from his BE name (I've since had it changed, at my own choice). The only time it was queried was when I parked next to Kitty Boggis' groom at Moreton Morrell (Intro I think) and I was on my own and late - she kindly offered to collect my number and take my passport for checking, etc., and she said they'd been all for making me take my horse down to the vet to prove it was the same horse before letting me compete. Thankfully, she managed to persuade them not to - I was very grateful because I suspect I'd have missed the dressage completely!

Until recently, BE were happy to have different names, but I thought there was a rule change not that long ago so that newly registered horses have to use the name on the passport (like the BSJA). I suppose if there is a different name then you simply run the risk of having to demonstrate that it's the same horse.

 

[Shrek-Eventing-SW]

I have emailed both Dreamworks and BE. I have asked Dreamworks to allow me to use the name Shrek and I have emailed BE asking if I would be allowed to use a different name if Dreamworks disagree.

 

[SpottedCat]

[ QUOTE ]
If Dreamworks don't agree, you could change the name to Shrekh.



[/ QUOTE ]

BE won't let you do that - the friend I had tried that as his first option - they said no because the problem of unauthorised use of trademark still comes up when the commentary happens IIRC.

 

[wonkey_donkey]

I would be really interested to hear what Dreamworks say when they reply to you. Would you let us all know when you hear back ?

I know when the BSJA horse 'Rolex' was competing the namesake watch company wouldn't allow it.
I believe the horse is now called 'Goldex' (or similar!)

Good luck

 

[Shrek-Eventing-SW]

Yep I will post on here the reply from Dreamworks, I have never emailed an American before

I wonder what the reply will be!!!

Will be exciting

 

[oofadoofa]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If Dreamworks don't agree, you could change the name to Shrekh.



[/ QUOTE ]

BE won't let you do that - the friend I had tried that as his first option - they said no because the problem of unauthorised use of trademark still comes up when the commentary happens IIRC.

[/ QUOTE ]

BE are a strange lot

My friend tried to register his racehorse with Weatherbys as Crunchie, but they wouldn't allow it. He was, however, allowed to register it as Krunchie, so how would that work with racing commentary then?

My horse has a different name on his passport to his BSJA registered name, he just has his BSJA number and registered name overstamped on it, so maybe BE would do the same if you had to change his name?

 

[stencilface]

Its very easy to get your vet to verify your horses BE name, I just have a slip of paper signed by my vet in the front of my passport saying that Norman II (name in passport) is also known as XXXXX.

Maybe you could call him Ogre boy or something?!

 

[ihatework]

They seem to be really cracking down on this now, BE have always been fairly strict but BSJA are following suit too. My older horse was registered BSJA as Jack Daniels as a 4yo but the BE wouldn't let him compete under that name, obviously doing their bit for AA

OP, I hope dreamworks do let you use the name, I think Shrek is a pretty cool name!

 

[hmk101]

I had a horse that had been registered with BE under a different name from her racing name. Prior to all this name kerfuffle. So her passported name did not meet her BE name. After a large amount of confusion where she nearly missed an event as the names didnt tally and she was a plain bay mare with nothing distinguishing to match her passport I got a helpful vet friend to write a letter on their practices headed paper to confirm the horse was one and the same as the passport. I stapled it into her passport and it was accepted when the issue came up again (twice) as confirmation of the horses identity.

 

[AutumnRose]

WHen i first got my mare her competition name was Tia Maria, i emailed BE to ask if i could register her as this and they said no because of Trademarks/copywrite etc etc.

However, i have since seen several horses competing under the name, right up until last year which i was really annoyed about!!!

B's passport only had his stable name on but i wrote his registered name next to it and got my vet to sign it. I have been thinking about getting him a new passport though because his markings section is filled in really badly, doesnt have his patches and just says he is grey so if i was ever checked they would probably say it wasnt the same horse!!