Pro Students
Continued from page 14
these programs will continue to increase, Ulland pre
dicts.
But only certain types of in-house training have
seen increased use during the last few years, said
John Fossum, director of Minnesota’s industrial rela
tions.
Some companies are becoming reluctant to pay for
external training because it can be used outside the
company, making it more of a bonus for the employee
than a benefit for the company.
They can just pick up and leave with the training,"
Fossum said. ‘Organizations are reluctant to pay for
general training.
Tie only time they'll do it is when it will help attract
and retain employees."
IBM is an example of a firm moving toward in-house,
company-specific training. One of its plants in
Minnesota contains its own two-floor “classroom”
devoted to IBM training.
And many universities are offering an alternative to
the typical master's degree: non-degree executive man
agement programs.
Although the programs do not carry the same clout
as a degree, William Scheurer, director of Minnesota's
Executive Development Center, said most managers
in-traming — and employers — don't seem to care.
"Typically, they don’t need another degree," he said, j
adding that student managers want the most efficient |
education possible.
“They want education. They care less about the cre
dentials that go with it"
But for those who do care about the credentials, IBM
still will pay for its employees' undergraduate or grad
uate tuition — with the agreement that the employees
pay the company back.
And the courses the employee-students take usually
must be work-related. “Chocolate-dipping classes"
wouldn't qualify, IBM’s Ulland said.
Other companies ‘protect their investment" by wait
ing several years to see if an employee has company
loyalty before sending him to college. Honeywell’s
Wame has been with the company five years.
‘People tend to leave sooner rather than later,’ rea
sons Fossum.
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Shirt
Continued from page 14
While living at the beach during the
summer, he finalized a T-shirt design
and consulted a patent and trademark
specialist who said it was safe to pnnt.
The following spring, Berard formed a
company, Venture Inc., and started mak
ing the shirts in large quantities. I
thought it was all right to sell them. I
didn’t hide anything," Berard said. “It
was all out in the open. It wasn’t like
bootlegging or anything."
The T-shirt Berard designed featured
a drawing of a can printed in red and blue
that said “Nags Head — the King of
Beaches,” a slogan and design similar to
Budweiser's “The King of Beers"
A single line on the back of the shirt
said “This Beach is for You,” which
Anheuser apparently thought was too
similar to “This Bud’s For You.”
Wings, a chain store with more than
25 locations along the East Coast and a
store in Myrtle Beach, was one place that
bought the shirts, Berard said. Wings
alone sold a large quantity of the shirts,
and at the end of the summer the store
sent him a check for $27,000.
Payment on the check was stopped
soon after Berard received it, although
he did not know why. He later learned
that representatives from Anheuser
came to the store, seized about 4,000
shirts, stopping payment on the check.
Two months later, Berard’s mother
was visited in her office by a U S.
Marshal, an Anheuser lawyer and a pri
vate investigator, he said. They proceed
ed to raid her office and seize 200 shirts.
It was at this time he learned he was
being sued for trademark infringement.
Because Venture is incorporated, Berard
has some protection. A corporation will
shield shareholders from liability, mean
ing only the corporation can be sued.
But Anheuser is trying to get past the
protection of the corporation in order to
sue the corporate directors, Berard said.
“A motion has been made by the prosec
tion to pierce the corporate veil."
Robert Reeves, Berard’s lawyer, said:
“Our position is that the design was
intended to be an amusing parody ... In
order for a parody to be effective, it must
necessarily bring to mind the slogan or
the symbol being parodied. Otherwise, it
would not be an effective parody.”
Because more than 80 percent of the
shirts were sold in South Carolina, the
case against Berard will be tried in a fed
eral court in Florence, S.C.
Berard said he was optimistic about
his upcoming trial. ‘I will be happy when
it’s over so I can get on with my life."