Blue Mountain Arts

Hallmark Cards today agreed to replace a line of greeting cards that had been challenged in a lawsuit by Blue Mountain Arts, a tiny Colorado card company that had accused Hallmark of copying its card design. The consent decree filed in Denver U.S. District Court ends the legal dispute between the two companies that began when Blue Mountain Arts of Boulder filed a $50-million lawsuit in July, 1986, against Hallmark. The card war had been scheduled to go to trial Jan. 2 in federal court here.

When Stephen and Susan Polis Schutz started Blue Mountain Arts three decades ago, their goal was to support their self-described hippie lifestyle by selling silk-screen posters and greeting cards that melded her love poetry with his pastels of silhouettes and sunsets. When they added a free online greeting card service a few years ago, it was merely on a whim. The business of selling paper greeting cards had proved a modest counterculture success.

Hallmark Cards today agreed to replace a line of greeting cards that had been challenged in a lawsuit by Blue Mountain Arts, a tiny Colorado card company that had accused Hallmark of copying its card design. The consent decree filed in Denver U.S. District Court ends the legal dispute between the two companies that began when Blue Mountain Arts of Boulder filed a $50-million lawsuit in July, 1986, against Hallmark. The card war had been scheduled to go to trial Jan. 2 in federal court here.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday without comment refused to hear Hallmark Cards Inc.'s appeal of an injunction that bars it from making and distributing greeting cards at issue in a lawsuit filed by a small Colorado firm. The ruling is the latest development in the legal dispute between Hallmark, the Kansas City, Mo.-based greeting card giant, and tiny Blue Mountain Arts of Boulder.

A federal judge has ordered Hallmark Cards Inc. to pull a line of greeting cards from store shelves, a first-round victory for a small Colorado company in its war with the industry giant. Blue Mountain Arts Inc. contended that Hallmark illegally copied its successful line of emotion-laden cards. U.S. District Judge Jim Carrigan ruled late Thursday that Hallmark must pull 83 cards from its "Personal Touch" line pending resolution of Blue Mountain's $50-million lawsuit.

When Stephen and Susan Polis Schutz started Blue Mountain Arts three decades ago, their goal was to support their self-described hippie lifestyle by selling silk-screen posters and greeting cards that melded her love poetry with his pastels of silhouettes and sunsets. When they added a free online greeting card service a few years ago, it was merely on a whim. The business of selling paper greeting cards had proved a modest counterculture success.

After a two-year legal battle with Hallmark Cards, a tiny Boulder, Colo., greeting card maker succeeded Monday in getting the industry giant to stop marketing what it called "copycat" cards. In a court settlement with Blue Mountain Arts, Hallmark agreed to stop publishing its Personal Touch line of cards and promised to help Blue Mountain get "equal and free" access to Hallmark card shops.

This Valentine's Day, try something a little more daring than a box of chocolates. Write a love letter to someone you love, or to someone you hope will love you back. "Love letters are never out of style," said Susan Polis Schutz, co-founder of Blue Mountain Arts, a Boulder, Colo., greeting card company. "Everyone needs to communicate honestly. Often it's easier to do it in writing." Writing a love letter--to some, a terrifying prospect--may be easier than you think, Schutz said.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday without comment refused to hear Hallmark Cards Inc.'s appeal of an injunction that bars it from making and distributing greeting cards at issue in a lawsuit filed by a small Colorado firm. The ruling is the latest development in the legal dispute between Hallmark, the Kansas City, Mo.-based greeting card giant, and tiny Blue Mountain Arts of Boulder.

A federal judge has ordered Hallmark Cards Inc. to pull a line of greeting cards from store shelves, a first-round victory for a small Colorado company in its war with the industry giant. Blue Mountain Arts Inc. contended that Hallmark illegally copied its successful line of emotion-laden cards. U.S. District Judge Jim Carrigan ruled late Thursday that Hallmark must pull 83 cards from its "Personal Touch" line pending resolution of Blue Mountain's $50-million lawsuit.

Thanksgiving Day usually means taking it easy after a hard day of stuffing ourselves with turkey and pumpkin pie. It's easy to forget the "thanks," or for that matter, be aware of what we should be thankful for. "Thanksgiving celebrates nourishing the body, but it is an important opportunity for emotional nourishment as well," says best-selling poet and author Susan Polis Schutz. Schutz, who has written 11 books and whose latest book is "Love" (Blue Mountain Arts, $15.

Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," first suggested the idea of an American Mother's Day in 1872. In 1907, a Philadelphia woman named Anna Jarvis, who never had children but was inspired by her own mother, began lobbying for a legal holiday. Seven years later, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother's Day a national holiday to be observed on the second Sunday in May. Today, Mother's Day is celebrated all over the world.