Play Meter
Issue: 1986 March 15 - Vol 12 Num 4 - Page 8
pany that was much involved in the
fight to deregulate the pay-phone
industry and was one of the first to sell
private pay phones, has been found
by a federal court to have infringed
the trademark of another Minnesota
company. Tonka Toys. The toy manu-
facturer filed suit in r 984 claiming
trademark infringement.
Pending an appeal of the ruling,
which would entitled Tonka Toys to
Tonk-A -Phone's profits of last year. esti-
mated at $250,000, and renumeration
of legal expenses. Tonk-A -Phone has
changed its name to T.A Phones.
According to T.A Phones' Bob
Albertson, Tonka is the name of a Min-
nesota town. and II 7 companies use
the name. "We have been in business
since 1977," Albertson said, "with our
building near Tonka Toys. We both
belonged to the West Tonka Chamber
of Commerce. so we saw each other at
meetings and other public activities. I
think that is why I didn't take the suit
too seriously. I also didn't think a judge
would rule a monopoly on the name
of a town and one that II 7 other com-
panies were using in their business
name."
Albertson said Tonka Toys, await-
ing the outcome of its suit against the
phone manufacturer, has filed no law-
suits against any of the other com-
panies also using the Tonka name.
His company has held a federal
trademark for automative and chemi-
cal products, Albertson said, and
Tonka Toys holds the Tonka
trademark for toys and children's
clothes. Other companies. he said,
also hold federal trademarks on the
name. and among them they deal in
paper products. pumps, coolers.
toasters. camping supplies. boats.
cars, transmissions. and liquor.
In addition to appealing the ruling,
Albertson said he has enlisted other
Tonka trademark holders to file a
class-action suit against Tonka Toys.
In any event Albertson said, "We
are still in business and will stay in
business."
•
ADVERTISE
IN
504/488-7003
8
Court grants
Dublin licenses
A Dublin circuit court has ruled that
33 of the city's 76 amusement arcades
may receive licenses for another year
despite a city council decision that in
effect would have forced all the city's
arcades to close within a year. (See
"Irish arcades dealt crushing blow" in
the March L 1986, Play Meter.)
The arcades were reprieved
because they had applied for new
licenses before the city council's deci-
sion to rescind the Gaming and Lot-
teries Act under which it issued the
licenses.
•
Group forms Mass.
distributor
Rick Kirby. a former Bally Distribut-
ing employee. will open a distributing
office. New England Coin Op, in Nor-
wood, Mass. Kirby and investors
including Belson Enterprises. David
Tucker. Richard Donlin, and Bob
Donne ley are looking for facilities suit-
able for the office. Kirby said the com-
pany will in effect be a subsidiary of
the Belson network and will represent
the lines c arried by Belson.
Formation of New England Coin
Op followed an announcement by
Bally that by March 31 all its distribut-
ing offices would be sold or closed.
"There are 13 other employees from
the Bally Northeast office who will be
joining New England Coin Op," Kirby
said. Though Bally announced sales of
several of its offices. including those in
Chicago. Philadelphia. and Mary-
land, there had been no announce-
ment as to the fate of the Bally North-
east office in Norwood.
•
Universal drops
video-game business
Universal U.S.A of Santa Clara.
Calif .. has announced it is out of the
video-game business.
The company is noted for its video
conversion kit called Mr. Dol, which
has been hailed as the most successful
kit ever. When the kit was introduced
in 1982. the kit concept was new, and
the prevailing opinion was that only
mediocre games would ever be intro-
duced as kits. Opinions changed after
the tremendous success of Mr.Do!
The company followed with Mr.
Dol's Wild Ride, Mr.Do!'s Castle, and
several unrelated kits . Universal
combined its video-game and slot-
machine operations a year ago and
now will concentrate strictly on its slot-
machine business.
•
Premier changes
drop targets
Pinball manufacturer Premier
Technology has announced that the
PLAY METER. March 15, 1986
fight to deregulate the pay-phone
industry and was one of the first to sell
private pay phones, has been found
by a federal court to have infringed
the trademark of another Minnesota
company. Tonka Toys. The toy manu-
facturer filed suit in r 984 claiming
trademark infringement.
Pending an appeal of the ruling,
which would entitled Tonka Toys to
Tonk-A -Phone's profits of last year. esti-
mated at $250,000, and renumeration
of legal expenses. Tonk-A -Phone has
changed its name to T.A Phones.
According to T.A Phones' Bob
Albertson, Tonka is the name of a Min-
nesota town. and II 7 companies use
the name. "We have been in business
since 1977," Albertson said, "with our
building near Tonka Toys. We both
belonged to the West Tonka Chamber
of Commerce. so we saw each other at
meetings and other public activities. I
think that is why I didn't take the suit
too seriously. I also didn't think a judge
would rule a monopoly on the name
of a town and one that II 7 other com-
panies were using in their business
name."
Albertson said Tonka Toys, await-
ing the outcome of its suit against the
phone manufacturer, has filed no law-
suits against any of the other com-
panies also using the Tonka name.
His company has held a federal
trademark for automative and chemi-
cal products, Albertson said, and
Tonka Toys holds the Tonka
trademark for toys and children's
clothes. Other companies. he said,
also hold federal trademarks on the
name. and among them they deal in
paper products. pumps, coolers.
toasters. camping supplies. boats.
cars, transmissions. and liquor.
In addition to appealing the ruling,
Albertson said he has enlisted other
Tonka trademark holders to file a
class-action suit against Tonka Toys.
In any event Albertson said, "We
are still in business and will stay in
business."
•
ADVERTISE
IN
504/488-7003
8
Court grants
Dublin licenses
A Dublin circuit court has ruled that
33 of the city's 76 amusement arcades
may receive licenses for another year
despite a city council decision that in
effect would have forced all the city's
arcades to close within a year. (See
"Irish arcades dealt crushing blow" in
the March L 1986, Play Meter.)
The arcades were reprieved
because they had applied for new
licenses before the city council's deci-
sion to rescind the Gaming and Lot-
teries Act under which it issued the
licenses.
•
Group forms Mass.
distributor
Rick Kirby. a former Bally Distribut-
ing employee. will open a distributing
office. New England Coin Op, in Nor-
wood, Mass. Kirby and investors
including Belson Enterprises. David
Tucker. Richard Donlin, and Bob
Donne ley are looking for facilities suit-
able for the office. Kirby said the com-
pany will in effect be a subsidiary of
the Belson network and will represent
the lines c arried by Belson.
Formation of New England Coin
Op followed an announcement by
Bally that by March 31 all its distribut-
ing offices would be sold or closed.
"There are 13 other employees from
the Bally Northeast office who will be
joining New England Coin Op," Kirby
said. Though Bally announced sales of
several of its offices. including those in
Chicago. Philadelphia. and Mary-
land, there had been no announce-
ment as to the fate of the Bally North-
east office in Norwood.
•
Universal drops
video-game business
Universal U.S.A of Santa Clara.
Calif .. has announced it is out of the
video-game business.
The company is noted for its video
conversion kit called Mr. Dol, which
has been hailed as the most successful
kit ever. When the kit was introduced
in 1982. the kit concept was new, and
the prevailing opinion was that only
mediocre games would ever be intro-
duced as kits. Opinions changed after
the tremendous success of Mr.Do!
The company followed with Mr.
Dol's Wild Ride, Mr.Do!'s Castle, and
several unrelated kits . Universal
combined its video-game and slot-
machine operations a year ago and
now will concentrate strictly on its slot-
machine business.
•
Premier changes
drop targets
Pinball manufacturer Premier
Technology has announced that the
PLAY METER. March 15, 1986
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).