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Judge Terrance Keith retreats amid public howls about pouncing on an unregistered trademark for the Detroit RiverWalk.
Wayne County Probate Judge Terrance Keith
"Keith's about-face comes after a meeting Wednesday with [Detroit RiverFront] conservancy officials," says a Crain's Detroit Business follow-up by Robert Snell, who broke the original news Sunday.
"Judge Keith indicated his intent that the Conservancy be the beneficiary of the trademarks Detroit RiverWalk and RiverWalk Detroit and has relinquished his rights in those trademarks to the Conservancy," said Marc Pasco, the conservancy's communications director. . . .
The decision . . . follows three days of criticism after Crain's Detroit Business first reported that the judge filed two trademark applications last month for "The Detroit RiverWalk" and "RiverWalk Detroit."
The Wayne County probate judge earlier told Snell he'd start a profit-making sideline by producing RiverWalk clothes, caps and other merchandise.
Original article, Jan. 3:
Ah, Detroit -- your Bizarro World reputation shows no sign of fading. So it's no surprise that the first weekend of a new year brings a fresh can't-make-this-up oddity.
It's delivered by investigative reporter Robert Snell of Crain's Detroit Business, a database-sniffing ferret who finds a pungent pair of federal filings:
Judge Terrance Keith of Wayne County Probate Court filed two trademark applications last month for the names "The Detroit RiverWalk" and "RiverWalk Detroit," according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The move surprised Detroit RiverFront Conservancy officials, who admit they failed to trademark the name after the RiverWalk debuted in 2007. The move to sell merchandise stamped with the RiverWalk name could mean, if unchallenged, the nonprofit loses a potential revenue stream at a time when the riverfront is poised for expansion.
"I'd like to give a portion of the proceeds to them, but not all," Keith said. "If I can use this to further benefit agencies, OK, and still make some money for myself, that is what I would like to do."
Judge Terrance Keith: "I was surprised to discover that it had not been trademarked. . . . Maybe God is giving me an opportunity to do something."
Yes, you read that correctly: The nonprofit group that has received tens of millions of dollars in federal grants, plus major support from the Kresge Foundation and General Motors, never trademarked the name of its key asset.
We can't even.
And if that isn't pure Detroit enough, comes now a county judge -- a nephew of legendary U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Damon Keith -- who spots a way "to profit off the brand name by peddling T-shirts, hats and hoodies," in Snell's words
It's Snell's biggest scoop since leaving The Detroit News to join the business publication Nov. 9. "Robert is a modern watchdog reporter," said Crain's Editor Jennette Smith says in a published announcement.
Until he relayed the embarrassing surprise last week, the RiverFront Conservancy didn't know it has a big problem, Snell writes:
The conservancy, launched in 2003 to boost public access to the riverfront and stimulate economic revitalization, was unaware of Keith's trademark applications until being told by Crain's Detroit Business.
"I don't think anyone is upset. It's too early for any feelings like that," said Marc Pasco, the conservancy's communications director. "Our next step is to find out what his intentions are."
With exquisite understatement, Pasco tells the reporter: "I would guess at some point in time we . . . should have done that," referring to legal protection for the name.
The judge spotted the oversight, he tells Snell, after publishing "Sunrise on the Detroit River, A Love Letter to Detroit," a 2014 collection of his photos.
The book and the reception from readers sparked an idea about trademarking the RiverWalk name.
"I was surprised to discover that it had not been trademarked," Keith said. ... "I said, 'Well, maybe God is giving me an opportunity to do something with this.' "
"I would guess at some point in time we . . . should have" legally protected the name, says a RiverFront Conservancy executive.
Keith, 60, graduated from the University of Michigan and has a law degree from the University of Detroit-Mercy.
He was admitted to the Michigan Bar in May 1985 and began his career as principal tax attorney for Wayne County. His moved up to become the county's chief deputy treasurer and was appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm in December 2010 to fill a probate court vacancy. He was elected in 2012 to serve the remainder of his predecessor's term and won the seat again in 2014 for six years.
Judge Keith lives in Highland Park with his wife, Dr. Lynn Carter Keith. They are the parents of Terrance Christopher Keith. The judge grew up on Detroit's west side, where he attended St. Agnes Grade School and St. Martin DePorres High School. He's the youngest of four siblings, including former Detroit News journalist Luther Keith, now the head of Arise Detroit!, a nonprofit community group he founded.
