365gay.com News is reporting that LGBT organizations in Canada have trademarked and are limiting use of the word “Pride.”

According to the article an organizer of two events was told she would have to take out a membership in the Vancouver Pride Society in order to use the word in the event titles: ManPride and TrannyPride.

A notice recently posted on the Vancouver Pride Society website states:

The word Pride is a registered trademark held by Fierte Canada Pride of which the Vancouver Pride Society is a member and licensed user. The VPS may, at our discretion, permit the use of the word Pride in all its forms associated with advertising and promotions within the district and surrounding promotional areas of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Capitalism. Yup… it seems as though it exists in the gay world, too.

The same thing happens right here at home as well. I don’t know if LGBT group in America have gone as far as actually, legally trademarking the word “Pride,” but I do know that participation agreements in at least two North Carolina Pride festivals (NC Pride and Pride Charlotte) require a group wishing to rent a booth or table to not use the word “Pride” in such a way as to make their merchandise or organization seem as though it is affiliated with the “official” Pride organization.

To tell you the truth, I can’t really decide if this is a good thing or not. I can understand the position of the Pride organizations, 100%. I can also, 100%, agree with community members and organizations who say the word “Pride” belongs to all of us.

But I guess that is what makes Capitalism so great. It is like Democracy. It can change, it can morph, it can flow and eventually new ways of doing things can pop up.

Whether or not trademarking “Pride” is fair or right, who knows the answer? Not me. Legally, however, everything is just peachy.