'Stumptown' brand name puts two bicycle companies at odds

(By: Helen Jung, The Oregonian) :: No doubt Portlanders would understand the name chosen by Mountain Cycle Inc. for one of its bike frames, but a California competitor argues others might get stumped.Portland-based Mountain Cycle three years ago named its cyclocross bike frame after Portland's 1840s-era nickname, Stumptown. But now it's facing pressure from Specialized Bicycle Components of Morgan Hill, Calif., which contends the name is too similar to its trademarked line of Stumpjumper mountain bikes.

Since October, Specialized has been sending letters and e-mails, demanding that Mountain Cycle dump "Stumptown."

"We appreciate your professional respect for our trademarks, and trust that the choice of this name for your product was, most likely, merely an unfortunate coincidence and not intended as an infringement on Specialized's intellectual property rights" reads an October 2005 letter from Specialized legal director Kim Arca.

The dispute, first detailed on the BikePortland.org Web log by Portland cyclist and writer Jonathan Maus last month, has generated a flurry of comments on several sites, many criticizing Specialized.

But Specialized said it is only trying to protect its 25-year-old Stumpjumper brand, a mark so valuable that it is more recognizable to some customers than the Specialized corporate name, said spokesman Kevin Franks. The bikes -- the first popular line of mountain bikes -- are so legendary that one resides in the Smithsonian Institution and Specialized recently published a coffee-table book commemorating the 25th anniversary of the line.

"It is super important to the heritage of our brand," he said. If the company were to allow Mountain Cycle to continue using the Stumptown name, it could hurt Specialized's legal standing in challenging other names that infringe on its trademark, he said. "It's definitely not an anti-Portland or anti-Mountain Cycle campaign."

But Mountain Cycle, which moved to Portland in 2002 as part of its acquisition by Portland-based Kinesis USA, has at least some history on its side. Portland's Stumptown nickname dates to the 1840s, when the city was derisively described for the fields of tree stumps that populated the landscape, according to the Oregon Historical Society. The city today has several companies that use the moniker in their names, such as Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Stumptown Media.

In more recent years, Portland has emerged as a hub for cyclocross, an adventure-cycling hybrid of mountain-biking and trail-running through mud, grass, pavement and other challenging terrain. Organizers have hosted several competitions in Portland, including one stage of the six-stop U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross last year.

"We had developed that cyclocross bike kind of as a way to say, 'Hey, Portland is our home,' " said Rob Lindberg, a director of Mountain Cycle, which relocated from San Luis Obispo, Calif. "We wanted to do something that kind of gave tribute to our new hometown after we moved up here."

He said no one had thought at the time that the name would be confused with Specialized's Stumpjumper.

Lindberg is hoping for a resolution. "We wanted to leave this very friendly," he said. "The bike industry is small and we're all here for the common goal of getting people on bikes."

Franks of Specialized said he could not comment on what steps Specialized is considering.

But others, including Joshua Hutchens, whose custom-bike shop Cycle Path sells Stumptown frames, said they are worried Specialized won't back down.

"One year in court (would) probably put Mountain Cycle out of business," Hutchens said.

Helen Jung: 503-294-7621; helenjung@news.oregonian.com; www.oregonlive.com/weblogs/playbooksandprofits