This notice refers to the E2M2C™ trademark, the ownership, placement & servicing of E2M2C™ devices, and the procedures clients are expected to follow in the event the client desires to cease participating in the E2M2C™ program and/or a change of ownership — of the physical site where an active E2M2C™ program exists — takes place. © Bugsinthenews Vol. 23:10(02): Created on 1 October 2022, last revised on 2 February 2024.
Important Notice about the E2M2C™ trademark
The term E2M2C™ is the stylized acronym used for a proprietary program developed and operated by EntomoBiotics Inc. Its full title, “Enhanced Ecosystem Monitoring, Management, and Control,” is a trademark wholly owned by EntomoBiotics Inc. E2M2C™ refers to and identifies each of the unique devices, methods, and protocols that are associated with that program, and is a trademark that is wholly owned by EntomoBiotics Inc.
In addition to the aforementioned stylized acronym E2M2C™ and its full title, the phrase “E2M2C™ for Mouse and Rat Control: The Only Thing You Need; The Only Thing That Works” is a trademark fully owned by EntomoBiotics Inc.
Ownership, Placement & Servicing of E2M2C™ Devices
The E2M2C™ devices that are placed and regularly serviced at client sites are never sold, but remain the property of EntomoBiotics Inc. at all times. The property label affixed to the front and underneath surfaces of every E2M2C™ program device gives legal, constructive notice to this effect, as do the written statements attached to our invoices and service records.
E2M2C™ devices are placed at client sites at the beginning of that site’s participation in the E2M2C™ program, and placement fees are charged in advance, when the devices are placed. Those devices are then serviced by exchanging them — at designated intervals — with freshly sanitized, revised, and re-provisioned units in a repetitive service cycle that is maintained for as long as the program remains in force at that site.
Service fees are charged in arrears. Exchanged devices are returned to our laboratory to be assayed, sanitized, equipped with the latest architectural, cosmetic, and safety revisions, and re-provisioned with expendable internal components.
Program Participation: Adding or Reducing E2M2C™ program Devices
The E2M2C™ program is designed to be flexible, to account for possible fluctuations in the background pressure of rodent populations in the areas surrounding the sites where the E2M2C™ program is in place. Whenever one or more regular sources of easily accessible forms of nourishment become established within 1/10th of a mile or closer to a site protected by the E2M2C™ program, rodent populations increase, sometimes dramatically.
This can happen simply by having a neighbor who erects a number of traditional bird-seed feeders, adds a chicken coop, begins to feed their household pets from yard-based food dispensers, or begins to feed wild animals such as raccoons, opossums, and/or squirrels in their yards. Often, local rodent populations rise when a new restaurant opens nearby, or when established restaurants loosen their sanitation standards.
When More E2M2C™ Devices Are Needed…
A rise in background rodent populations usually means that additional stations are needed, as when the client reports seeing live rodents in their yards or spots their fecal droppings on a porch or near the BBQ grill. When added stations are placed, a placement fee for each one is charged at the time of placement. The added stations are then serviced in conjunction with the present service interval for that site.
By the same token, rodent populations can also fluctuate downward. In fact, once an E2M2C™ program is placed, it tends to lower the number of rodents within a radius of 1/10th of a mile from its placement location. Within the first 12 months of an E2M2C™ program placement the total reduction of rodents within the surrounding area can be dramatic.
When The Number of E2M2C™ Devices Can Be Reduced…
A demonstrable reduction in background rodent populations at an E2M2C™ program placement site may mean that the total number of E2M2C™ program devices at that site can be reduced as well. Years ago, when the E2M2C™ program was in its infancy, we began collecting data bearing on the minimum number of devices that could be placed at a given site. The object of any placement is to have a sufficient number of devices to ensure that commensal rodents arriving from surrounding nesting areas would be neutralized before they were able to establish maternity nests at the placement site.
The information gleaned from that data collection effort has given added support to industry-established minimums of one device for every 30 linear feet of the perimeters of the man-made structures within the placement area. Although some of our early placements used fewer devices than that standard would now recommend, we presently use the 30-foot rule exclusively to determine the minimum number of devices for a newly established placement site, and never reduce the number of devices below what that standard dictates.
Whenever the number of stations is reduced, the client is charged a service fee for the stations that are removed, at the time of removal; subsequent service events are charged based on the remaining number of stations at the site. Clients requesting a reduction in the number of stations at their site must keep in mind that, should it be deemed necessary to reinstall the removed stations at a future date, a placement fee will be charged for each station reinstalled.
Change of Ownership, Lessee, or Lessor at the Placement Site
Whenever a site where the E2M2C™ program is in place is sold, or otherwise changes hands (as in a change in the lessee or lessor at a leased property), we must be notified in advance of the sale or change of status so that the the devices associated with the E2M2C™ program may be removed prior to, or consonant with, the change of the status of the property. If the new owner, lessor, or lessee consents, in writing, to continue with the E2M2C™ program, they will be left in place and the service schedule will continue without change or interruption, and the new owner or leaseholder will be charged the full service fee for the next service interval when the service is performed. If no agreement is reached prior to the sale or change in leaseholder, the stations will be picked up prior to the sale or change in leaseholder and the departing owner or leaseholder will be charged a service fee for each station at that time.
Damage, Destruction, or Theft of E2M2C™ program Devices
Damage is sometimes caused by by lawn-care personnel using lawn mowers or trimmers that damage the E2M2C™ program device’s casing, rendering the device unsafe for future use. We advise program participants to inform their lawn-care professionals that they should take care not to inflict damage to these devices while performing their duties, as doing so may result in extra charges to the client.
E2M2C™ program devices may also be displaced from their customary placement locations, onto bare soil where they accumulate grime and mud, or into roadways where they are run over by vehicles and destroyed. Infrequently, excessive rodent activity at the placement site may result in rodent-caused holes that render the device unsafe for future use. Vandalism, although rare, also occurs from time to time, usually rendering the device unsafe for future use. In other rare cases an E2M2C™ program device will simply disappear, either because it was inadvertently disposed of or stolen.
In each of these cases the damaged, destroyed, missing or stolen device will be replaced and a placement fee will be charged.
Program Termination
Once a site’s participation in the E2M2C™ program ceases, all of the E2M2C™ devices positioned there will be collected by EntomoBiotics Inc. personnel and returned to our laboratory. If site ownership changes while we have E2M2C™ devices in place, it is incumbent on the property owner to notify EntomoBiotics Inc. immediately so that arrangements can be made to continue or terminate the program. In the event the new owner does not desire to participate, EntomoBiotics Inc. personnel will take steps to collect the E2M2C™ devices within a reasonable time frame before or immediately following the change in site ownership. At the termination of an existing E2M2C™ program, a service fee for each collected E2M2C™ program device, and a placement fee for each damaged, destroyed, or missing device will be charged.
QUESTIONS?
Those currently participating in the E2M2C™ program who have questions about their particular site, as well as those who are not yet involved with the E2M2C™ project but would like to consider getting on board, should call or text me for more information. Current participants already have the number… But, for those who don’t, it’s 512-426-9883. We recommend that all who are interested in this program read our regularly updated article “E2M2C™ Chronicles.”
Jerry Cates,
President & CEO, EntomoBiotics Inc.