This throw me off guard a bit when I found the listing on Craigslist. I was doing a little research to see if funeral directors were using Craigslist as an outlet to sell pre-need packages or even sell equipment or hearses to other funeral directors. I never expect to find an industry company hocking their business.
The title of the listing read “Funeral Industry Investment – $1 (Tampa)”. Following the heading was this listing:
The funeral industry, specifically cremation, will maintain profitability through any recession or depression.
We are seeking a buyer for our patent and trademarked brand.
The company that is selling their brand and patent is www.funeralchannel.tv. I am not sure why they have a .tv domain because their product has nothing to do with video or tv.
The company sells a Memorial Tree Cremation Box that is described on the site as:
The Memorial Tree Memorial service incorporates a truly ?Green? environmentally friendly Tree Mounted Time capsule Memorial Cremation Ash Urn which is securely attached to an existing tree or a newly purchased Memorial Tree through a safe patented product and process.
The Memorial Tree service and memorial includes as many options as you desire from the urn itself to a customized service including additional products selected by friends and family, a memorial tree, a eulogy by a family member, clergy or other speaker; and a full range of landscaping and catering options as well.
I called the number listed on their site and was told that the listing on Craigslist was posted to put out “feelers” to see what interest there would be for someone to buy the brand and patents held by the company. The gentleman I spoke with would not state a price point for the purchase, but said they had an inquire from another company to buy the patents and brand, so they set up the Craigslist page to see if there would be others who were interested.
I also received the following in a LinkedIn message from a representative from the company:
I would sell my US Patent No. 7,373,702 and trademark No. 3,680,342 to an established group who had the ability to move the concept forward.
So I guess if you are in the market to buy up some funeral industry product patents then this is an opportunity for you!
You can contact the company at the number posted on their website: 813-862-8261.
If anyone has any further details we would love to hear what you think.
