AFLAC is of the view that a white duck quacking functions as its trademark. While annoying, the AFLAC duck is a big success and does good works. Via AP, we learn that AFLAC has protested the use of a white duck quacking on a website at www.taftquack.com promoting the candidate opposing Governor Taft of Ohio.
Here is an animation featuring Osama Bin Laden and the AFLAC duck
Here is a letter to AFLAC from an animal rights group named the United Poultry Concern protesting AFLAC’s treatment of ducks in its commercials. I think that this letter is legitimate, but I can’t tell for sure.
Here is a link to my Sept. 6 blurb with links to relevant cases on the use of trademarks in political speech.
p.s. I would provide links to aflac.com, but the homepage keeps crashing my browser today.