Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant in Wisconsin features a traditional sod roof, complete with grazing goats. The Johnson family lawyers have trademarked the animal/roof combination, and sue anyone who does the same.
Al Johnson opened the restaurant in 1949, but didn't put the sod roof in until 1973. A friend gave him a goat as a gag gift, and Al put him up on the roof. The goats are now a significant tourist draw for the restaurant.
"Any business that sells food and uses goats to lure customers may be violating the trademark, says Lori Meddings, the restaurant's lawyer. "The standard is, is there a likelihood of confusion?" she says."
"Al Johnson's is on constant lookout for other cloven-hooved intellectual-property violations. Mr. Johnson says the restaurant's Milwaukee law firm has sent letters to other alleged offenders, such as a gift shop in Wisconsin with a fake goat on its roof. It removed the ersatz ungulate."
FULL STORY: Lars Johnson Has Goats on His Roof and a Stable of Lawyers to Prove It
How Goats Aid in Wildfire Prevention
Grazing goats can quickly and effectively clear steep or hard-to-reach hillsides of invasive, fire-fueling vegetation.
It's Bus Shelters or Wi-Fi in Miami, But Not Both
The company that pays to build and maintain bus shelters in Miami-Dade County isn't happy about plans to bring in another company to build wi-fi kiosks at transit stops.
Detroit's Unpermitted Goat Experiment Ends—Is a Second Chance Possible?
A hedge fund manager recently took it upon himself to bring 20 goats into Detroit as an experiment of urban agriculture. The city quickly shipped the herd off, but fans of goats wonder why these animals shouldn't have a place in the city.
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service