I'm sure by now most of you have seen something about Harley Davidson winning it's hog trademark case against The Hog Farm of San Jose, Ca., for the use of the word hog. Harley Davidson started in the early 80's using, - H - period, - O - period, - G- period, for their Harley Owners Group. Corporate H.D. got lucky, this decision by the courts was wrong. Hog is a generic term, which can not be trademarked, and prior use over The Hog Farm of San Jose, who didn't start their business until the mid 80's should not of mattered.

The 60's brought us a lot of things and one of them was the chopper craze, the urge to make your bike look unique with fancy paint, long front ends and lots of chrome. The people who were doing it, call their masterpieces, their hog. It was tagged on to BSA, Triumphs, Indians, Honda's, and I've even seen a BMW chopper. Harley Davidson wanted nothing to do with choppers, the word hog, or the people that road them.

I was one of the chopper-club people, and didn't care for the way we were treated or the prices we were charged at the franchise dealers, knowing 1st hand, having worked for a dealer in North Carolina. 1969 brought Woodstock, Man on the Moon, and the start of The Hog Farm of Western NY.

The decades have brought the choppers, closer to dressers, & the dressers closer to choppers, and it has also blocked the memory of Harley Davidson distaste for the name Hog being used in conjunction with its product. After all now it's COOL, (another word not used by square HD, in the 60's & 70's), cool green cash, is the only love HD now has for the name Hog.

Harley Davidson has accused me of hitching my wagon and going for a free ride on them. I started my shop in 1969, Harley Davidson was 6 months from bankruptcy. At that time I named my shop The Hog Farm, which diverted me from the main stream Harley Davidson riders, and associated me with all the riders Harley Davidson didn't even want to see. The free ride included painting houses in late summer & fall, working the loading dock 3rd shift winters in Buffalo. Maybe the free ride was when we loaded up the bus after work on Saturdays, drove all night to a Motorcycle Swapmeet, unloaded, set-up, work all day, reloaded and drove home 200 to 600 miles to be back to work on Monday, and sometimes at no profit. All this and more was to keep The Hog Farm going when things were tough.

Wait a minute, I've been using the hog name since 1969, Harley Davidson only since the early eighties, according to the San Jose decision on previous use, I should own the name, and accuse Harley Davidson of going along for a free ride.

The Hog Farm, West Seneca, NY is the Oldest Hog Shops in America. it's not just a job, it's my life, and I'm proud to say were Celebrating our 25th Anniversary this year!