Charles Stanley, Patrick Franklin, & BEL

Jefferson

Jefferson

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Charles Stanley, Patrick Franklin, & BEL

This is the show from Wednesday August 17th, 2011.

SUMMARY:



* Uh-oh: In Touch Ministries Has Taken Legal Action: Long-time friend of Bob Enyart Live, app developer Patrick Franklin, is being taken to trademark court by Charles Stanley's ministry. Patrick's downloadable app, for iPhones, iPods, the iPod Touch, Android, etc., is called the Touch Bible and currently has over 700,000 downloads with each copy including chapter one of Bob Enyart's The Plot. Thanks Patrick! Aside from dedicating a tremendous amount of time and programming talent to pro-life ministry (including by creating the ExceptionsCalculator.com which is used prominently at ProlifeProfiles.com), Patrick programmed the Touch Bible from his hospital bed after doctors diagnosed him with a fatal illness and gave him three years to live. Now Charles Stanley's In Touch Ministries, a Christian organization that Patrick otherwise highly compliments, is asking Patrick to "cease and desist" from offering his Touch Bible and from trademarking his popular app's name. Stay tuned... And check out Patrick's website, ChristianRevolution.net!

Today's Resource: Go to the Touch Bible website, or on your phone, go to the Market, and search for Bible and get the Touch Bible application!
 
patman

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Thanks Bob for having me on the show :)

I'd hope to hear what TOL thinks about this, I'd very much appreciate it.
 
Jefferson

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I don't think In Touch Ministries has a chance in court against you. They use the words "in touch" as a reference to being in-touch with God and with your spouse, etc. It's a psychological reference. Your use of the word "touch" is a physical reference.
 
steko

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1Co 6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
 
Stripe

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Cool show, Patman! I remember using the early versions of your work on my old Nokia. :thumb:

Now I have the trial version on iPad. Might have to upgrade soon. :)
 
patman

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Jefferson said:
I don't think In Touch Ministries has a chance in court against you. They use the words "in touch" as a reference to being in-touch with God and with your spouse, etc. It's a psychological reference. Your use of the word "touch" is a physical reference.
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Thanks Jefferson!

They seem to think they own the word "Touch," don't they? There are other ministries out there that do Bible study and use that word with registered trademarks. "Touch" certainly isn't exclusive to them.

My theory is they just want the name "Touch Bible" because they want to make an "In Touch Bible app."

I think most people agree there is nothing confusing between their marks and my app. Surely they recognize that too right? IMO, they want the name and it's cheaper to scare me away from it than it is to make an offer.

edit:
Just wanted to add that In Touch denies the above :) If that's so, then I see no reason why we can't drop this whole thing.
 
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patman

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Stripe said:
Cool show, Patman! I remember using the early versions of your work on my old Nokia. :thumb:

Now I have the trial version on iPad. Might have to upgrade soon. :)
Click to expand...

Awesome Stripe :) I hope you like it - though I'd like to point out it isn't a trial. No need to purchase anything unless you just want more study content.

Check out plain ol' Touch Bible - I always liked the user interface better in that version for the iPad than the one in Touch Bible Free. More free translations too.
 
patman

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steko said:
1Co 6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
Click to expand...

That is true. To me, the bigger sin from them is trying to stop me from using name in this way, it's like stealing. This is how I get my very limited income... If they use the name in a future product it's especially a bigger sin. It reminds me of Nathan's story to David and Bathsheba:

2 Samuel 12:2-4
2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and reared; and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own morsel, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.'

:DK:
 
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Vaquero45

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Man that's pretty low, I always thought Charles Stanley was a upstanding guy, this is heavy blow to my esteem of him.

And :wave: Patman!

I think we still had unfinished business on TruthSmack.com, lol too bad it's gone, I was still working on a reply. :)
 
patman

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Vaquero45 said:
Man that's pretty low, I always thought Charles Stanley was a upstanding guy, this is heavy blow to my esteem of him.

And :wave: Patman!

I think we still had unfinished business on TruthSmack.com, lol too bad it's gone, I was still working on a reply. :)
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YOU! I hate to tell ya bud, you lost that debate by default. It has gone down in internet history FOREVER, muah hahaha.

Yah know, I think Charles Stanley still has a lot of good teachings. I have no idea what his involvement is with this, other than the Ministry he founded is up to no good in this regard. Many of the people I talk to think he doesn't know about this, maybe they are right?
 
Vaquero45

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patman said:
YOU! I hate to tell ya bud, you lost that debate by default. It has gone down in internet history FOREVER, muah hahaha.
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Thaaaat's awfully convenient now isnt it?? :madmad:

Yah know, I think Charles Stanley still has a lot of good teachings. I have no idea what his involvement is with this, other than the Ministry he founded is up to no good in this regard. Many of the people I talk to think he doesn't know about this, maybe they are right?
Click to expand...

I hope that is the case. He seems like a good guy, especially among TV ministers. Hope it works out for you in the end, sounds neat. I still have a phone Fred Flinstone would mock.
 
patman

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WandererInFog

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As much as I see Charles Stanley as a rank hypocrite who has no business being in the ministry, this is pretty basic trademark stuff. Anything that's close to one of their trademarks, in the category they do business in, they HAVE to challenge or risk losing their ability to defend the trademark. So, yes, this actually means they will challenge ANYTHING is broad category of religious ministry that uses the word "Touch" as it's name.
 
patman

patman

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WandererInFog said:
As much as I see Charles Stanley as a rank hypocrite who has no business being in the ministry, this is pretty basic trademark stuff. Anything that's close to one of their trademarks, in the category they do business in, they HAVE to challenge or risk losing their ability to defend the trademark. So, yes, this actually means they will challenge ANYTHING is broad category of religious ministry that uses the word "Touch" as it's name.
Click to expand...

Why do you call Dr. Stanley a hypocrite? I agree with Angel4Truth (or at least that I can't tell how involved he is on this, so I assume no involvement) but I also think he has done so much to spread the Gospel. The only negative things I can find on him are from people who have theological differences with him, or people complaining about his divorce (which, for those people, divorce isn't covered under God's grace). Even ministers are human.
 
WandererInFog

WandererInFog

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patman said:
Why do you call Dr. Stanley a hypocrite? I agree with Angel4Truth (or at least that I can't tell how involved he is on this, so I assume no involvement) but I also think he has done so much to spread the Gospel. The only negative things I can find on him are from people who have theological differences with him, or people complaining about his divorce (which, for those people, divorce isn't covered under God's grace).
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I was a member of his church and my grandfather was a deacon there. To avoid getting into anything where I might inadvertently breach the confidence in which things were told to me, I'm going to comment mainly on the divorce because it was something public and good example of the sort of hypocrisy Stanley engaged in.

The issue wasn't just the divorce, it's the hypocrisy involved in that Stanley himself preached that divorce disqualified one from the ministry right up until it became public that his wife had separated from him. At that point he had his sudden change of heart on the matter while refusing the church's offer of a leave of absence to deal with his marriage.

It was this sort of thing, combined with all kinds of financial improprieties in the church ranging from graft on land deals to deacons getting caught stealing cash from the offering and the church refusing to discipline them in any way, were among the reasons the church hemorrhaged members in the mid 90s and remains a shadow of its former self. That it survived at all is mostly attributable to handful of wealthy donors and it happening in the pre-internet era where it was a lot easier to keep things hidden.

Even ministers are human.
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They are, but they're also to be held to a higher standard so long as they are in that teaching role. (James 3:1)
 
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