Devaes family trademarkes Urban Homesteading

[lhamo]

OK, maybe posting the article and the comments I did on it could be considered "personal attack", but

1) The article was posted prominently on Jules Dervaes' personal website, so it didn't seem like digging around for dirt
2) Same with their religious stuff, though since this broke much of it has been taken down.

I do think both the article and the religious background point to aspects of the Dervaes family history/dynamic that are not necessarily readily evident on their UH-focused sites, so worth taking note of. The fact that they are taking down much of the religious site material also raises questions for me. Why take it down now, when it has been out there for years? If you really believe it, why not leave it out there for all to see. Anyway, I agree that making attacks on appearances or personal quirks is underhanded, and that is not something I would consider appropriate in this context. But I do find the religious background to be relevant and worth examining. I admire them for what they have achieved in the past with their UH efforts, but question the motivation behind it and whether they are really interested in building/supporting a forward-looking, community-based movement or simply laying the groundwork for something else entirely.

lhamo

[Charity]

I'm with you Ihamo. I've followed this family's story for a few years. At first I was really impressed with what they've accomplished on their small property. The website that I first started viewing was informative and inspiring. But it seemed like in the last year there was a shift toward getting people to donate, pay for viewings of the documentary about them, drumming up demand for paid lectures and selling all sorts of stuff on line.

Where I think the religious aspect is relavent to the conversation about the motives behind the trademarking issues, is that everything they do is under tax exempt status. Their whole endeavor is under the name "The Dervaes Institute" which I knew was tax exempt but what I didn't know was that the Institute is actually listed in the tax exempt category of "churches" which offers the highest protection with regard to paying taxes. I don't understand how an concern that is selling high priced produce to top flight restaurants and various other items through their online shop can get away without paying sales taxes like everyone else because they've declared themselves a church. I get that their outreach workshops and lectures can be considered educational and therefore have no problem with a certain level of tax exempt status. But I think what bothers me and probably rubs others the wrong way about that and the trademarking issue is that it seems the major issue for this family has shifted to maximizing income, while they are selling the idea of making do with less.

[puglogic]

I have no problem with them maximizing income. Ask for donations, make money through the documentary, whatever kind of passive income you want.

But don't wreck other peoples' livelihoods in the process. Don't lay claim to something that isn't YOURS to make money on (especially on the backs of others who have sent the aforementioned donations to you) That's where it crosses the line for me. Capitalism I get. This kind of damaging territorialism I can't condone.