Oclc Throws The Mass At Library Hotel

The Chicago Sun-Times reports on an odd merchandise grade infringement suit. The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) -- the torso that owns merchandise grade registrations for the Dewey Decimal library classification scheme -- is suing New York’s The Library Hotel for failing to credit the OCLC equally the possessor of the Dewey merchandise marks. The hotel contains unopen to 6,000 books, ranged across its 10 floors, each of which is dedicated to i of the Dewey system’s brain categories. Thus room 800.001 on the literature floor, for example, features a collection of erotica, spell Room 1000.003 on the full general noesis flooring pays homage to the encyclopedia.

The OCLC is claiming permanent injunctive relief in addition to triple profits yesteryear vogue of damages. Said Joe Dreitler, acting for OCLC:

"This is a cooperative of libraries, a nonprofit organisation. The final affair they wanted to produce was convey lawyers larn involved inwards filing a lawsuit. But they equally good recognise that i of their crown jewels, equally an asset, is Dewey Decimal".

Craig Spitzer, the Library Hotel's full general manager, responded: "We are non a library lending books, only rather nosotros convey created a unique hotel sense for booklovers to enjoy. We produce non believe that our guests or other consumers are confused into thinking that the Library Hotel's hospitality services in addition to the OCLC's data services come upwards from the same source”.

quietly ponders on whether at that spot is whatever vogue of referring to the Dewey Decimal classification scheme other than yesteryear using its merchandise mark, equally all adept librarians look to do. It would last dainty to encounter whether courts on both sides of the Atlantic would consider the give-and-take DEWEY equally existence non a lilliputian generic.

Check out the Dewey Decimal System here and compare it amongst the Library of Congress Classification
Dewey classification for Gideon’s (and other) bibles here
Discover Melville Dewey here
Other thematic hotels here, here, here, here and here