"Andy Griffith" Loses Run For County Sheriff; Wins In Court

In another post having nothing to do with this blog, a Federal judge recently ruled that a man who changed his name to Andy Griffith, and then ran for county sheriff in Wisconsin, did not violate trademark and copyright laws, nor did he violate the privacy of the actor who played Mayberry's folksy sheriff on the "Andy Griffith Show", according to The Associated Press.

The better known Andy Griffith apparently went into "Matlock" mode by initiating legal action against the lesser known Griffith in an attempt to protect his intellectual property related to the popular 1960s TV show from trademark and copyright infringement; the lawsuit was ultimately dismissed without a trial.

However, the name-changing maneuver was of little help in the election for the lesser known Griffith; the "new" Andy Griffith finished "up the track" with 7.5% of the vote. For more, see Judge: Sheriff candidate named Andy Griffith did no harm to famous actor.
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