Smokey Bear Authorizations
| Tracking # |
2015-RD-01903-F |
| Submitted | May 28, 2015 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Michael Morisy
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:
A copy of the Department of Agriculture rules and regulations regarding the use of “Smokey Bear” figure.
A copy of any logs, databases, or agreements that authorize the use of Smokey Bear by third-party entities.
A copy of any logs, databases, or indexes of unauthorized use of Smokey Bear by third-party entities.
The existence of such documents would be governed under 18 U.S. Code § 711 - “Smokey Bear” character or name, which reads:
"Whoever, except as authorized under rules and regulations issued by the Secretary of Agriculture after consultation with the Association of State Foresters and the Advertising Council, knowingly and for profit manufactures, reproduces, or uses the character “Smokey Bear”, originated by the Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Association of State Foresters and the Advertising Council for use in public information concerning the prevention of forest fires, or any facsimile thereof, or the name “Smokey Bear” shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both."
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Michael Morisy
From: Marchak, Elizabeth
Dear Mr. Morisy: This email acknowledges receipt of your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, dated May 28, 2015, which was received in the Washington Office (WO) FOIA Service Center on June 04, 2015. You requested information about Smokey Bear as described in your attached request. Please be advised that the WO FOIA Service Center has a backlog of pending FOIA requests and appeals. We are diligently working to process each request and appeal in the order in which it was received. Your patience is greatly appreciated. To check on the status of your request, you may contact FOIA analyst Sara Sullivan at slsullivan@fs.fed.us. Please reference your assigned case number, 2015-FS-WO-03865-F. (mailto:slsullivan@fs.fed.us) Thank you,
RAYNELL LAZIER Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Officer
From: Sullivan, Sara L -FS
Good Morning Mr. Morisy,
I am the Forest Service FOIA Analyst processing your FOIA request and require some clarification.
Please provide a timeframe for the search and please explain what you mean by “third-party entity.”
Thank you,
[USFS]
Sara L Sullivan
Government Information Specialist (FOIA)
Forest Service
Office of Regulatory and Management Services
p: 202-205-1369
slsullivan@fs.fed.us<mailto:slsullivan@fs.fed.us>
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250
www.fs.fed.us<http://www.fs.fed.us/>
[http://fsweb.wo.fs.fed.us/esignature/images/usda-logo.png]<http://usda.gov/>[Twitter]<https://twitter.com/forestservice>[Facebook]<http://facebook.com/USDA>
Caring for the land and serving people
From: Sullivan, Sara L -FS
Good Morning Mr. Morisy,
I have not received a response to my request for clarification of your request. I also have additional clarification that is required in order to process your request.
We have 100’s of Forest Service offices that would have documents and would have to conduct searches for responsive records to your request. We have the Smokey Bear logo and the costume of Smokey Bear; so this could be a very voluminous FOIA request.
Please address the issues below that I sent you and the issues presented in this email so we have a clear understanding of what information you are requesting.
[USFS]
Sara L Sullivan
Government Information Specialist (FOIA)
Forest Service
Office of Regulatory and Management Services
p: 202-205-1369
slsullivan@fs.fed.us<mailto:slsullivan@fs.fed.us>
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250
www.fs.fed.us<http://www.fs.fed.us/>
[http://fsweb.wo.fs.fed.us/esignature/images/usda-logo.png]<http://usda.gov/>[Twitter]<https://twitter.com/forestservice>[Facebook]<http://facebook.com/USDA>
Caring for the land and serving people
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