The air seems to have cleared in the municipality of Maashorst after an earlier disagreement with the political party Lokaal Maashorst, the municipality said on Thursday. At the beginning of February, the municipality wanted to start legal proceedings against the party because of the use of the so-called ‘Pulse’, part of the municipal logo. At the beginning of this week, both parties reached an agreement.
The solution is for Lokaal Maashorst to transfer the trademark rights to the municipality. The party will refrain from using the ‘Pulse’ in its logo. Both parties indicate that they are happy with the outcome. “We do not want to end up in a legal discussion,” says party leader Christa van de Langenberg of Lokaal Maashorst.
“We have always taken a constructive position and we want to continue to do so,” the group leader adds. “The priority must be the future and the residents. We do not want to be distracted by unimportant matters such as logos.”
“You understand that this is a significant investment for a new party.”
The logo of the municipality of Maashorst consists of a word mark, ‘Maashorst’, and a figurative mark, also called the ‘Pulse’. This stylized M was developed in 2021 as part of the new corporate identity of the municipality of Maashorst. Residents, associations and initiatives in relation to the municipality were encouraged to use the logo at the time. “The Pulse is from and for everyone,” a letter from the municipality showed at the time.
The new political party wanted to use the logo. With a different color, the party could use the logo freely. “We immediately emailed the municipality that we had put the ‘Pulse’ into use. To protect our political application, we had it registered with the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property. We have been completely open.”
When the municipality wanted to register its own logo some time later, the local party objected. Something that went wrong with the municipality of Maashorst. “We wanted to encourage solidarity and joint pride with the use of the ‘Pulse’ by third parties, but use by a political party was not foreseen,” the municipality said.
The municipality did not consider this use desirable, because it would blur the distinction between politics and the municipality as a service organization. For this reason, the municipality has now tightened the rules for the use of the ‘Pulse’.
“It’s nice that we can move forward.”
A months-long discussion followed. At the end of February, the municipality even threatened to start legal proceedings. Ultimately, both parties managed to reach a solution. “It’s nice that we can move forward,” says Christa van de Langenberg, who is dreading the idea of creating a new logo. “You understand that this is a significant investment for a new party.”
The new political party wants to focus its energy mainly on the municipal council. “We are very happy that we had more than enough votes for a seat, almost two even. We are going to build the future of our constructive party.”
