I know that this subject was thoroughly covered in the Opinions Forum ten days ago, and I know it really doesn't belong here, but if you visit Opinions as seldom as I do, you may have missed it as well. What follows is the text of an e-mail I sent to Roger Ormisher, VP PR at VCONA
Dear Mr. Ormisher,
Since I have no complaints about Volvo's products or services, I address this to you, rather than to Customer Services, on the assumption that your job description says something to the effect that you are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the favorable image of the corporation.

As a Volvo owner since 1959, I feel entitled to protest against Volvo Trademark Holding AB's recent move to deprive Lee "VolvoGirl" Holman of the use of her "VolvoGirl" name and logo.

Volvo spends vast sums of money promoting an image of safety, reliability, durability, and other aspects of the vaunted "Volvo mystique," as well as to project an aura of corporate generosity toward the mark's owner associations. Lee Holman, as much as anyone and more than most -- including many on your payroll --, helps to promote that image by operating her modest, self-built, environmentally protective repair shop in rural Maine; by being a respected leader in several Volvo enthusiast groups; and by writing extraordinarily readable and informative articles on the care and repair of Volvos in several Volvo enthusiast publications and on the internet. In short, Volvo should be celebrating her and giving her all the support it can, rather than slapping her down.

Therefore, for Volvo Trade Mark Holding AB to execute the proverbial "800 Pound Gorilla Landing" on her is not only reprehensible in its mean-spiritedness, it is just plain stupid from a corporate interest perspective. Because of the preposterous zeal of the protectors of your corporate names and devices, Volvo stands to suffer far more economic damage from the loss of goodwill and this blemish on its image as a benign corporate citizen than it could ever lose by having Lee Holman sell a few T-shirts and tote-bags decorated with a name and logo similar to Volvo's.
Yours in profound disappointment,
Robert C. Silvius