PisteHors.com reported on March 1, 2008 (www.pistehors.com/news/ski/comments/0816-international-ski-school-loses-trademark-case/) that the Syndicat international des moniteurs de ski (SIMS) and its President Philippe Camus lost a trade mark case at the Grenoble civil appeals court against Michel Vachez, an independent ski instructor based at l'Alpe-d'Huez, who apparently owns the trade marks 'écoles de ski internationale' and 'ESI snowboard award école de ski international', registered in 1994. SIMS has to refrain from using the trade marks under a penalty of € 500 for each violation. The trade mark case seems to have its roots in the preferred organizational structuring of independent ski monitors. Originally the monitors were members of the Fédération française des enseignants du ski, which changed to a syndicat in 2001, introducing a sort of franchise structure. Mr. Vachez disagreed with this reorganization and formed the first independent ski school in France in 1974. According to the posting on PisteHors.com the judgement also effects other independent ski schools 'who will have to change their brochures, update their websites and even alter the medals they award. The SIMS has 1700 instructors in 84 ski schools in France.'