A city suing a local business saying it can't use the city's name? Did Branson secede from the union and get annexed into the former Soviet Union when we weren't paying attention? Did Yakov stage a coup?
It's one thing to protect a business interest such as "Branson Landing". It's fine for universities, for instance, to protect their names and likenesses for licensing and marketing purposes. Branson, too, would be in reasonable company if they were stopping some other city or business from trampling on a trademarked phrase.
Say Branson, for instance, decided on this town motto: "Let us annex you or we'll crush you with our TIF-funded lawyers." Should some business try to steal that phrase for their use, sure, go after them.
But to target a non-profit organization near Branson and then offer them a quid pro quo annexation? What are they smokin' in them there hills?
There are a number of business operation in Branson and outside of the area (some making millions off the name) that fail to reflect Branson's family values. The question is .... Is the Sports Club one of them?
Do they have a bigger objective maybe ... A multi-million dollar timeshare ticked booking enterprise operating under the cities name? Nahhhh. Well, maybe - the city could recover millions in revenue and maintain its good name.
