By David Middlecamp / San Luis Obispo Tribune
Yosemite inspires passion from most of its more than 4 million visitors annually. It was the fourth-most-visited national park in 2015 (after Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountain).
When ardor cools, the breakup can be ugly.
Concessionaire Delaware North lost the bid to continue managing signature properties in Yosemite, but it trademarked the names before it exited. The company now argues that taxpayers (in the form of the National Park Service) must pay $51 million to buy the intellectual property attached to the names.
The Justice Department responded that the value proposed by Delaware North was “improper and wildly inflated.”
Today, The Ahwahnee is called The Majestic Yosemite Hotel as the dispute makes its way through the courts.
An editorial published in The Fresno Bee called the move a “sordid play.” Read more