Is it OK to sell a soap named as "bastille"

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goji_fries

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Is the name offensive since it may mean bastard castille???? Can it be sold as olive oil soap? IDK IDK :think:
 
Is the name offensive since it may mean bastard castille???? Can it be sold as olive oil soap? IDK IDK :think:

You can sell it under whatever name you like as long as that name isn't trademarked, or copyrighted. I don't believe most people know what bastille means and would most likely accept whatever you told them, without thinking how the name came about.

Yes it can be sold as olive oil soap - a soap made with lavender can be called lavender even though it's obviously not ONLY made of lavender.

You can also call it castille - many, including the most popular castille soaps are not pure olive oil. Only among soapmakers is the name used in the strictest sense. Even wiki defines castille soap as: Castile soap is a name used in English-speaking countries for olive oil based soap made in a style similar to that originating in the Castile region of Spain. Notice it says olive oil based, not 100%.
 
Yeah, a lot of people in the DIY/natural/organic camp call Dr. Bronner's "castille". I would just call it soap because I doubt most of your customers will know what bastille means, it'll just lead to confusion. But I guess if Dr. Bronner's soap is labeled as castille, you could label yours as castille.
 
First time I read "Bastille" I assumed it was French related... I don't sell but have labelled gifts as "Bastille bars" without being concerned.
If anyone asks you could simply explain that, traditionally, Castile = 100% olive oil and a Bastille is a variant... I don't anyone would read more into it?
 
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You do know that France celebrates Bastille Day every July 14th, right? It is their version of Independence Day. I don't really know where you came up with "ba***** castile", but that is erroneous.
 
You do know that France celebrates Bastille Day every July 14th, right? It is their version of Independence Day. I don't really know where you came up with "ba***** castile", but that is erroneous.

It was one of the explantions I have heard. :confused:
 
you can call it Bastile...

"Bastile" is a nickname many soapers use when referring to soap made from mostly olive oil. (Like a bastard version of "castile"?) "Castile" is 100% olive oil soap, but the usage apparently is not regulated, so you can find stuff called "castile soap" that has no olive oil in it at all, like this: http://www.swansonvitamins.com/kirk...=54515515807&gclid=CKOVmIby0cACFYZzMgod30oAAw

"Bastille" is the prison / holiday in France, not a soapy thing.

I don't think anyone would be offened by a name containing the syllable "bast".
 
Thought it was different

Hehe it took me a while to work out... I think when I first was reading about Bastille I didn't know about Castile... So was confused as to the French connection haha. Once I heard about Castile I could put it together :p
 
The knowledge you can glean from watching movies. The first time I ever heard of a "bastille" was in the movie "The Man in the Iron Mask". :)
 
The nickname 'bastile' for a bastardized Castile originated over on the Dish forum several years back. I can't remember who came up with it, but I remember reading the thread where it was first coined, then it took off like wildfire after that. lol

IrishLass :)

... and this is exactly why I was asking.
 
yes you can sell your soap with the name " Bastile " in the description .
just go to Etsy and look up "Bastile Soap" , i think that will answer your question.
 
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I think it would be easier to sell the soap as an olive soap since you would not have to explain the details and history of the word "Bastille". Then again, the term can be useful if you can find a creative way to utilize it.
 
I have also read that 100% olive oil soaps are considered Castille-style soaps (unless they are from the Castille region of Spain) - there is probably a specific EU recognized designation (like true champagne only coming from the Campaign region of France). A similar thing is Marseille-style soap, which must be 71% or higher olive oil with sea water (the rest is not defined). "Bastille" soap, I think, is a play on Marseille, not necessarily castille, as it is a heavy olive oil soap that has significant other additions (like most would add coconut and castor to improve the hardness of the bar and improve the cleaning and lather). "Bastille" seems to imply the freedom to mix it up a bit - hence the connection to french independence. YMMV - just what I've read here and there.
 
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