This Metropass connects you worldwide
spotted in window of Six Penny Variety at Bloor and Euclid
Generally, I ignore the dozens of poorly designed phone card advertisements that are plastered on the window of every corner store, but this was one that caught my eye. This MetroPass (TTC uses Metropass) probably won’t get you on the TTC, but lets you phone world wide without connection fees! Amazing! And you’ve got to love the trademark-infringing use of the TTC logo, albeit with ‘TTC’ erased, and a big bold ‘MP’ in its place. And how about the image of the new shiny TTC subway trains? They’re on the cutting edge.
Given that the TTC has gone to extreme lengths in the past to protect their name and intellectual properties - for example, the kerfuffle a few years back around the anagram subway map - I am curious what action is going to be taken against the phone card maker. Unlike the anagram map, this infringement actually could confuse customers. A visitor or a new resident could mistakenly buy this ‘MetroPass’ believing it is a Metropass for the TTC, or worse yet, a store owner could potentially sell these as transit pass/phone card combos for a substantial markup. So here’s hoping the sometimes overzealous TTC legal department will make a move.
