Yosemite National Park’s former concessionaire wants a federal judge to keep secret an appraisal that set a $44 million value on the company’s trademarks. This month, a new park concessions company takes over. The departing company, a subsidiary of New York-based Delaware North, trademarked the names “Ahwahnee,” “Curry Village” and “Yosemite Lodge,” during its tenure and now contends it must be paid for them. The U.S. government says it will change the names rather than pay Delaware North the sum it is asking.
Delaware North’s subsidiary says making report public would help competitors. This report is at the heart of a high-profile dispute pitting the Delaware North subsidiary against the National Park Service, which calls the privately commissioned appraisal grossly exaggerated. The report by CONSOR Intellectual Asset Management was completed in 2010.
Citing the possibility of competitive harm, attorneys for DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite in new court filings are asking a U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge to keep the roughly 53-page report sealed under a protective order.
“The CONSOR report is marked ‘confidential’ and is not the sort of information DNCY would normally share with the public,” company attorneys reported to McClatchyDC. “It contains specific confidential commercial information that competitors could use to the detriment of DNCY and its affiliates.”
Justice Department attorneys already have advised the claims court judge that they will oppose the company’s effort to keep the appraisal report secret.