Mike Ange and SEAduction.com are announcing today the new branding of Mikes highly-acclaimed monthly column, which was previously published in SCUBA Diving as "Lessons for Life" from 2001 through early 2009. "Diver Down" is the new column brand, see details on the decision to change the brand on Seaduction.com. FULL TEXT BELOW
Divings original dive accident analysis column has a new name: Diver Down - Dive Accidents, Close Calls and How You Can Avoid Them. It also has a new home, SEAduction.com.
Mike Ange and SEAduction.com are announcing today the new branding of Mikes highly-acclaimed monthly column, which takes a hard-hitting look at the common mistakes made by divers, the accidents those mistakes create, and most importantly, the steps divers can take to avoid becoming a victim.
Mike sold his column to Scuba Diving magazine from 2001 through early 2009 where it was published as Lessons for Life and became the top-rated column among readers. In 2009, Mike made the decision not to accept a contract renewal offered by Scuba Diving and went on to launch Seaduction.com where he continues to publish the results of his investigations into real-world dive accidents. Mikes long-time readers will recognize the familiar format of the articles from his earlier work and from his successful book, Diver Down: Real World SCUBA Accidents and How You Can Avoid Them, from McGraw Hill Publishing.
Why the name change? Mikes column was last published in Scuba Diving as Lessons for Life: Dive Accidents, Close Calls, and How You Can Avoid Them. After declining the contract renewal from the magazine, Mike sought to register this brand as a trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Bonnier Publishing Group, which had recently acquired Scuba Diving, disputed the claim of ownership, believing it to be part of their purchase of intellectual property, in spite of the fact that the magazine had purchased the column from Mike, by name, in over 100 commercial transactions in the preceding decade.
It was obviously a case where both sides felt they were right and the only people who would profit from litigating the dispute were the lawyers at the huge law firm Bonnier engaged to fight the battle. Averse to lining the pockets of lawyers, Mike made a decision re-brand the column. A settlement was reached with Bonniers attorneys where Mike would not contest their use of Lessons for Life and Bonnier would not contest his use of the tag line, Dive Accidents, Close Calls, and How You Can Avoid Them.
I feel strongly that readers made this column No. 1 because of the content, not because of the name, Mike says. Rather than spending time filing legal briefs, I wanted to spend time helping improve the safety of our sport.
Readers now can find Mikes renamed column -- Diver Down: Dive Accidents, Close Calls and How You Can Avoid Them exclusively at SEAduction.com. New reports are published on the first Monday of each month and previous columns are available by clicking on the Diver Down tab on the home page. Each case presented is a real incident, and is thoroughly investigated using official sources and the accounts of participants and witnesses, though some names and minor details are often changed to protect the privacy of victims and their families.
Comments or questions about the column can be directed to Mike directly via e-mail at Mike@seaduction.com or to the publishers of Seaduction ® | scuba diving | scuba diving equipment | scuba gear at info@seaduction.com. Sponsor inquiries are also welcome.
Divings original dive accident analysis column has a new name: Diver Down - Dive Accidents, Close Calls and How You Can Avoid Them. It also has a new home, SEAduction.com.
Mike Ange and SEAduction.com are announcing today the new branding of Mikes highly-acclaimed monthly column, which takes a hard-hitting look at the common mistakes made by divers, the accidents those mistakes create, and most importantly, the steps divers can take to avoid becoming a victim.
Mike sold his column to Scuba Diving magazine from 2001 through early 2009 where it was published as Lessons for Life and became the top-rated column among readers. In 2009, Mike made the decision not to accept a contract renewal offered by Scuba Diving and went on to launch Seaduction.com where he continues to publish the results of his investigations into real-world dive accidents. Mikes long-time readers will recognize the familiar format of the articles from his earlier work and from his successful book, Diver Down: Real World SCUBA Accidents and How You Can Avoid Them, from McGraw Hill Publishing.
Why the name change? Mikes column was last published in Scuba Diving as Lessons for Life: Dive Accidents, Close Calls, and How You Can Avoid Them. After declining the contract renewal from the magazine, Mike sought to register this brand as a trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Bonnier Publishing Group, which had recently acquired Scuba Diving, disputed the claim of ownership, believing it to be part of their purchase of intellectual property, in spite of the fact that the magazine had purchased the column from Mike, by name, in over 100 commercial transactions in the preceding decade.
It was obviously a case where both sides felt they were right and the only people who would profit from litigating the dispute were the lawyers at the huge law firm Bonnier engaged to fight the battle. Averse to lining the pockets of lawyers, Mike made a decision re-brand the column. A settlement was reached with Bonniers attorneys where Mike would not contest their use of Lessons for Life and Bonnier would not contest his use of the tag line, Dive Accidents, Close Calls, and How You Can Avoid Them.
I feel strongly that readers made this column No. 1 because of the content, not because of the name, Mike says. Rather than spending time filing legal briefs, I wanted to spend time helping improve the safety of our sport.
Readers now can find Mikes renamed column -- Diver Down: Dive Accidents, Close Calls and How You Can Avoid Them exclusively at SEAduction.com. New reports are published on the first Monday of each month and previous columns are available by clicking on the Diver Down tab on the home page. Each case presented is a real incident, and is thoroughly investigated using official sources and the accounts of participants and witnesses, though some names and minor details are often changed to protect the privacy of victims and their families.
Comments or questions about the column can be directed to Mike directly via e-mail at Mike@seaduction.com or to the publishers of Seaduction ® | scuba diving | scuba diving equipment | scuba gear at info@seaduction.com. Sponsor inquiries are also welcome.
