RNC can't win the
social media game

The Republican National Committee (RNC) plans to sue CafePress for permitting vendors to sell unlicensed Republican merchandise, including shirts and stickers that portray the Grand Old Party elephant — even if those portrayals are positive.

CafePress.com enables users to "brand" shirts, caps, stickers and other items, then sell them in their own CafePress online stores.

"Please cease and desist from allowing vendors to utilize the federally registered trademarks of the RNC or we will be forced to consider a legal remedy," wrote chief counsel Sean Cairncross in a letter to CafePress (pdf).

The RNC reportedly owns the trademarks to "GOP," "Grand Old Party," "Republican National Committee," "RNC" and the official GOP elephant logo, writes Wired.