BMW says salon's sign must go

When Susie Beam opened Beamer Salon Etc. in February, she decided to play off the BMW logo by using a round logo much like that of the German car company.

Only, Beam's logo has scissors running through it, red in place of blue and the letters 'BSE' where the 'BMW' would normally be.

BMW of America doesn't think that's so catchy.

In August, Beam received a letter from the auto manufacturer, asking her to 'cease this and any other unauthorized use of the BMW trademarks.'

The company's attorney said in a subsequent letter that the hair salon's use of the logo could 'dilute or otherwise impair the trademark function of BMW's marks.'

'I know it looks something like (their) logo,' Beam said. 'To me, it was a compliment. To me, it means excellence.'

But after trading letters between attorneys, Beam has decided she'd rather design a new logo than face BMW in court.

The company has asked Beam to remove the logo from her sign and all other advertising and promotional materials by Monday.

'I'm going to take it down,' she said. 'I don't have the money to fight them.'

In addition to having the logo put on the sign on the front of the salon at 525 Southland Drive, Beam also used the logo on business cards, banners and an advertisement on shopping carts at the Beaumont Centre Kroger. Those applications add up to about $5,000 in costs, she said.

'They don't realize how much that's going to cost me,' Beam said. 'This is my first year and I'm struggling. This is taking me back a notch or two.'

Beam said her son's nickname is 'Beamer,' and her younger daughter is 'Baby Beamer.' The salon is named after them.

'Beemer' is a term commonly used to refer to BMW automobiles, although enthusiasts insist it should be applied only to BMW motorcycles.

BMW hasn't taken issue with the salon's name.

Beam already has a new logo in mind, and she said she likes it even better than the previous one.

This time, she's going with a diamond shape to avoid any conflict with BMW. 'They've got dibs on circles,' she said.