FIRE CIDER DAY OF ACTION- FEBRUARY 2, 2017 A letter to Free Fire Cider Supporters from Rosemary Gladstar: Hi Friends, We’re full in the throes of winter’s cold and blustery weather…. And what better time than now to bring out the Fire Cider!! If you’ve not made it already, it’s time to brew up a big fiery batch; it’s time to drink it, time to share it with friends, time to celebrate it, and above all, it’s time to stand up in support of Free Fire Cider for all! Though quiet on the front lines, we’ve remained busy and active. Behind the scenes Kathi, Mary, and Nicole (aka The Fire Cider 3) have worked tirelessly and quietly on this campaign to free Fire Cider from trademark restrictions. A huge amount of energy went into the $100,000 lawsuit filed against Nicole, Kathi and Mary by Shire City Herbals. We’re happy and relieved to report that because of the excellent work of a team of lawyers (who have donated much of their time to this issue) and along with the work of the Fire Cider 3 , 80% of the lawsuit including the damages related to the boycott charges aimed against Mary, Kathi and Nicole were thrown out. This is good news, but, not all good! This lawsuit against the Fire Cider 3 has effectively stalled our petition to cancel the trademark filed with the USPTO, holding up the process for the last 2 years and pushing it into federal court, where it is more expensive and lengthy to challenge! We were hopeful that mediation and negotiations would resolve the issue peacefully with Shire City, but, unfortunately they have not been successful and we expect to be going to trial in 2017. Our request simply was and has been from the start to replace the name of fire cider with an original name that reflected their own (Shire City’s) business, so not only they but others as well could all continue to benefit from making and selling Fire Cider. What’s up next is the central and all important issue of the trademark. We are nearing the third year anniversary of our campaign to get trademark restrictions on Fire Cider dropped and we are asking for your support once again to make this a reality. We know it’s possible and with your support we can make it happen. We are preparing to take Fire Cider to trial and to do all we can to keep Fire Cider free of trademarks and back in the hands of the herbal community. Though going to trial is the last thing any of us wanted to do, we are willing to stand strong in our beliefs that traditional herbal remedies should be used and sold freely. We stand with thousands of people in demanding that Fire Cider should remain in public domain and should be free from trademarks. You have been unbelievably supportive in these efforts and your support and faith has kept us fueled. Please join us in our biggest effort yet to let Shire City know it’s not ok for businesses (whether small or large) to claim ownership of herbal products that have long been used, produced and sold. As we’ve said many times, if it were just a matter of one name, one product, would it be worth the time and energy it’s taken? Possibly not. But if one company is allowed to do this, it will - and already has - set a precedent. None of our traditional herbal products will be safe from businesses wanting to trademark them. The warm sharing herbal community that has been nurtured and grown since the early 70s will change and herbalists will be far less willing to share recipes and formulas knowing they could be trademarked. Depending on your time, energy, and commitment to this issue, there are any number of ways to get involved listed in this newsletter!! February 2017 is our last big push to raise funds for the trial. The trial costs are high, and we need help in this area! Stand with us in 2017! Donate: freefirecider.com/donate/. TOGETHER WE CAN FREE FIRE CIDER FROM TRADEMARK RESTRICTIONS AND HELP SET A NEW PRECEDENT OF PROTECTING TRADITIONAL HERBAL REMEDIES FROM BEING TRADEMARKED. In Joy, Rosemary Gladstar FIRE CIDER DAY OF ACTION- FEBRUARY 2, 2017- Find out more info on Tradition Not Trademark Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/Tradition-Not-Trademark-311341798991086/