attorney and partner in silicon valley. he's a santa cruz resident and surf. >> i was outraged someone could claim trademark to surf city usa. >> trademarks like coca-cola or exxon are used to identify a brand. they can be registered with the government and protected by law. >> bruce innocently thought a great t-shirt would be surf city santa cruz, california, usa. unbeknownst to him somebody else claimed to have trademark rights. my mom was freaking out, she thought she would lose the business, her house, swimming pool. she was frightened at her age she could lose everything. so was i a little bit. >> when big organizations take on small mom and pops like the nolands, the cost of fighting back isn't worth it. when ted offered legal as far as force free that allowed them to fight back. the result, a compromise