Jan. 12, 2015 By Michael Florio
A number of artists who put the 5Pointz graffiti Mecca on the map have come together to deny the controversial developer from trade marking the 5Pointz name.
Jonathan Cohen, a graffiti artist know as “Meres One,” started a petition in an attempt to deny the developer from using the name to market his apartment buildings in the “graveyard” of the graffiti Mecca.
Jerry Wolkoff, owner of 5Pointz, is just days away from completely demolishing the structure, clearing the way for two high-rise apartment towers, one 47 stories and the other 41, containing nearly 1,000 units. The project will have 50,000 square feet of commercial space, 12,000 square feet for artist studios and will include a public park.
Wolkoff plans to use the 5Pointz name, and his company G&M Realty has filed an application to trademark it.
The petition, which sets out to prevent the name from being used on the towers, set its goal at 2,000 signatures. Currently, it has over 1,800 signatures.
Jose Fernandez, a Woodside resident wrote on the petition: “They purchased the property, not the history.” Meanwhile, Orestes Gonzalez from Long Island City, wrote, “You can’t market a name that does not morally belong to you.”
On the petition, Cohen writes that he was given full curatorial and operational control in 2002, allowing aerosol and street artist to come paint on the 200,000 square foot building turned canvas, without repercussions. He writes that he thought up the name 5Pointz.
However, Wolkoff claims that he and Cohen both collaborated on the name.
“Do you think I would just let any name go up on my building?” Wolkoff said in November.
Wolkoff said that Meres used to walk around 5Pointz thinking it was his building—particularly after he announced his plan to develop the property.
“I gave him permission to use it for all these years…and he would work with artists,” Wolkoff said in November. “But the property was always mine to develop and deep down Meres and his crew knew that.”
While Wolkoff knows some of the artists will always criticize him, he hopes that will change once the two towers are completed and he invites the street artists back to display their work.
Wolkoff’s application for the 5Pointz name with the US Patent and Trademark Office was turned down on Jan. 6 because it was too similar to the moniker of California real estate company. He has six months to respond or appeal the decision.
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5 Comments
The artists ought to focus on making art. Legal battles, won or lost, will not bring them any peace. Waste of energy.
Maybe Meres One is just a narcissist who is nursing a grudge over having his playground taken away from him.
Lesson for Meres One…if you don’t own it, well, you don’t own it. The name is going to be used to describe the development despite the whining of some self-important “artists”.
So I guess Staples center is morally belongs to LA? And since when the owners need to be approved by the strangers what names they can use?? So 5 points is not ok… How about 6 points or green point?
US Serial Number: 86210325 Application Filing Date: Mar. 04, 2014
Register: Principal
Mark Type: Service Mark
Status: A final Office action refusing registration has been sent (issued) because the applicant neither satisfied nor overcame all requirements and/or refusals previously raised. The applicant may respond by filing (1) a request for reconsideration; and/or (2) an appeal to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. To view all documents in this file, click on the Trademark Document Retrieval link at the top of this page.
Status Date: Jan. 06, 2015