Bill Cosby's lawyers unravel Cosby Sweaters website

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Storified by CBC News Community· Tue, Mar 26 2013 12:36:10

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The eponymous sweaters worn by Bill Cosby during his run as Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show are fondly remembered by many as bold, bright and -- much like the actor himself -- often quite funny.

But as the founders of a popular sports and culture blog named in their honour have recently learned, Bill Cosby's lawyers have little sense of humour when it comes to the comedian's wardrobe.

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Kiley Kmiec is the co-founder of CosbySweaters.com, a popular two-and-a-half year old website for "sports fans who love music, tech, pop culture, and dumb Internet videos" that currently boasts over one million page views a month.

In a recent blog post called "Thank You, Mr. Cosby, For Threatening To Sue Us," he revealed that Cosby's legal team had sent him a cease and desist letter, alleging that the site's name was a violation of the actor's intellectual property rights.

An exerpt from the legal document, prepared by Cosby's legal representatives at the Manhattan-based firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler, appears in that post:

"Mr. Cosby has used his name for decades in connection with activities as an entertainer. His name is famous throughout the world and he has acquired tremendous goodwill and valuable intellectual property rights, including a United States trademark registration...

In addition, as you know, the multi-colored, multi-patterned sweaters that Mr. Cosby wore on "The Cosby Show," an iconic television program that aired from 1984 through 1992 and has continued in broadcast as reruns and in syndication both domestically and internationally through the present, are strongly associated with Cosby. The term "Cosby Sweater" instantly evokes Mr. Cosby and The Cosby Show."

Thank You, Mr. Cosby, For Threatening To Sue Us"Hey", you're asking yourself, "what happened to Cosby Sweaters?" Let's start at the beginning: About 2½ years ago, we launched a site fo...

"I'm like, 'Are you kidding me? My childhood hero is, suing us?'" Kmiec said to Gawker, noting that the website, which has nothing to do with the 75-year-old comedian's wardrobe, was more of a nostalgic tribute than anything, chosen to reflect the site's eclectic composition.

"Our site looks like everything is thrown randomly--it doesn't make a lot of sense, but it works when you pay attention," he said.

In response to the letter, Kmiec and his crew have changed the name of their website to Next Impulse Sports.

"We think we could fight this case in court," he wrote on March 21. "Unfortunately though, we don't have the millions of Puddin' Pops™ to mount what could be a long and costly legal fight. The bottom line is this: It got hot and we have ditched the Cosby Sweaters name."

The site owners maintain a positive outlook, promising expanded coverage in light of the re-branding, but fans of the site, which was named one of TIME Magazine's 50 best websites of 2012, are not impressed with Cosby's actions.

Litigious is what you get when relevance is lost RT @NImpulseSports: Thank You, Mr. Cosby, For Threatening To Sue Us: <a href="http://t.co/hyslWo8tq0" class="">nextimpulsesports.com/2013/03/21/tha...</a>James Blackwell

So, Bill Cosby kind of pulled a jerk move here <a href="http://t.co/o2XvkcnLGb" class="">huff.to/YAXxss</a>HuffPost BC

I'm sure there was a time when Bill Cosby wasn't a mean, grumpy, ligneous jerk. Unfortunately, that time was the 1980s.Defunct Games

You're a party-pooper @BillCosby. RT @NImpulseSports: Thank You, Mr. Cosby, For Threatening To Sue Us: <a href="http://t.co/KOeSD6tN4T" class="">nextimpulsesports.com/2013/03/21/tha...</a>Kurt Stadelman

uh, wasn't bill cosby famous for his sense of humor? <a href="http://t.co/8kbjl6hTH1" class="">nextimpulsesports.com/2013/03/21/tha...</a>javi grillo-marxuach

Flip side of an affective legal system is it gives birth to ridiculous cases. And what's up with dude Bill Cosby? <a href="http://t.co/rkxv4QZxg4" class="">nextimpulsesports.com/2013/03/21/tha...</a>Amit Mehra

I don't care what @BillCosby and his hired goons say, @NImpulseSports will always be Cosby Sweaters to me. #CozSweaters4LyfeJeff Greenwell

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Though at least one fan sees a silver lining:

Free promo, right @NImpulseSports? "@HuffingtonPost: Bill Cosby issues cease-and-desist <a href="http://t.co/cm9ZeyypWA" class="">huff.to/15Bz6i1</a>"Walker Westbrook

Fair point!

What's your take? Should CosbySweaters have been allowed to keep its name, or does Bill Cosby have a right to protect the namesake of his kooky style?

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