Night shifts in the service industry are notorious for bizarre stories. There’s just something about the world after dark that brings out the crazy in people. Scientists think it’s got something to do with our ancient primal survival instincts, but who really knows?  

One Redditor had a close shave with crazy during a night shift when a woman stormed into the auto-parts store he works at and demanded to speak to the manager about an alleged copyright infringement on the store’s customized license plates. Flabbergasted, the man took to Reddit to share his story.       

More info: Reddit

Night manager at auto-parts store alerted by one of the clerks that there’s a customer who’s super upset about their delivery vehicles’ license plates

Image credits: svetlanasokolova (not the actual photo)

Well-dressed young woman with a shaved head asked to immediately speak to the manager in charge of the custom license plates 

Image credits: jay pizzle (not the actual photo)

The night manager told her he wasn’t in charge of the plates, but that he’d take photos of any offending ones and send them to his GM, along with her contact details

Image credits: peoplecreations (not the actual photo)

She refused his offer and demanded that the night manager get the general manager on the phone, which he duly did

Image credits: BabyFallujah

She told the GM that the license plates contained an outdated technology term owned by her family and that she demanded compensation, or she’d take legal action

OP begins his story by telling the community that he’s a night manager at a major auto-parts store. He goes on to say that one night, one of his clerks alerted him to the fact that there was a very upset customer asking to speak to the manager about the customized license plates on the store’s delivery vehicles.

When he approached the well-dressed young woman, she demanded to speak to the manager in charge of the customized license plates. OP thought the plates might contain something offensive on them, so he offered to take pictures of the problematic ones and send them to his general manager, along with the woman’s contact info. The woman flat-out refused and asked to speak to the general manager immediately.  

So, the night manager called his GM at home and handed over the phone to the woman who said, “I’m Megan Saint Cloud-Bergman, and the custom license plates on your vehicles contain an outdated technology term that is the property of my family. Your company owes me compensation, or I’ll see you in court.”

The woman then stomped off, leaving the night manager to apologize to his GM, who just laughed the incident off. Shortly after, the woman called back saying she recognized the GM’s voice and that he was pretending to be someone he wasn’t. The night manager just thanked her and wished her well, concluding that his job just gets weirder and weirder. 

Without knowing more about the specific term that was allegedly being infringed upon, it’s difficult to say whether or not the woman was within her rights to demand compensation, but charging into the store at night probably wasn’t the best way to go about it.

Image credits: Magda Ehlers (not the actual photo)

After stomping off, the woman called back accusing the general manager of pretending to be someone he wasn’t, which the night manager just thanked her for

Instead, the young woman should seek legal advice if she believes a copyright is being infringed upon. In her article for Copyrighted, Rae Marie Manar writes that identifying instances of copyright infringement is an essential first step in protecting your intellectual property. 

The next step is to gather pieces of evidence to strengthen your case, such as establishing proof of ownership with copyright registration certificates or any other relevant info that establishes your rights as the copyright holder. 

Next, it’s advisable to issue a cease-and-desist letter, formal communications designed to halt the unauthorized use of copyrighted material by the infringing party. In instances of severe infringements or persistent violations, a copyright lawyer can even develop a litigation strategy.

Remedies for copyright infringement can include payment to the copyright owner of any profits the infringer received, as well as any losses suffered by the copyright owner. Further solutions include a court order restraining the infringer from continuing the infringing activity, and confiscation and destruction of the infringing items.

Despite all this, it’s unlikely that the woman would have any claim if the specific term is so far outdated or obscure that it’s not in widespread and everyday use anymore. Perhaps that’s something only the lawyers can decide.

What do you think of the way OP handled the situation? Do you think the young woman approached the issue in a productive way? Let us know your opinion in the comments!

Most Redditors weighed in with the same opinion: ask the woman to have her lawyers contact corporate and don’t say another word

Image credits: rorozoa (not the actual photo)

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