Bill to overhaul Alamo oversight passes Senate

AUSTIN — The state’s General Land Office would oversee management of the Alamo under a bill the Senate approved Tuesday. The measure by Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio , also would create an advisory board to help raise money and guide the actions of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, the historic site’s longtime caretakers.
Stutz: http://dallasne.ws/krCNSu

State to oppose 'The Alamo' trademark sought by Daughters of the Republic of Texas

Benning reports The state of Texas has decided to oppose the Daughters of the Republic of Texas' attempt to trademark the phrase "The Alamo." In a five-page brief filed Friday with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the state argues that it is the rightful owner of the trademark and that the Daughters' application would likely cause confusion.
http://dallasne.ws/cR6DVs

Alamo's director fired after only a few months on the job

Benning reports on the continuing saga of the Alamo:

The Alamo is without a director of operations for the second time in less than two years.

Michael McCracken, a San Antonio business consultant, was fired in January after only a few months on the job. Leaders of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas confirmed the departure Monday but declined to discuss the reasons.
http://tinyurl.com/2ebpu8q

Request to trademark 'The Alamo' halted by state

Tom Benning follows up on yesterday's story:
An attempt by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas to register a trademark of “The Alamo” has been halted – at least temporarily – by the state of Texas.


The state requested and received a 90-day extension from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday to look more closely into the matter and to determine if the state wants to oppose the trademark. At issue is that the state owns the Alamo property, although the Daughters have operated and maintained the iconic San Antonio site since 1905.
http://tinyurl.com/2cbxnyf

Custodians of Alamo have new outlook: Remember the trademark

"The Alamo" – the final two words of Texas' most famous battle cry – could soon be the registered trademark of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, the longtime custodians of the iconic San Antonio mission.

That might raise the eyebrows of history buffs, Alamo gift vendors and the thousands of business owners who use "Alamo" in their moniker. But legal experts said the Daughters' trademark probably won't affect others, and the group said it simply wants to sell its own line of official merchandise.
http://tinyurl.com/36dz3f6

-- here's some background on the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, who have been the subject of several recent DMN stories: http://tinyurl.com/356zfnq