HP To Make History by Selling Stamps

The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

Vesma Grinfelds, a San Francisco resident and president of the Council of Northern California Philatelic Societies, was thrilled to view some of the world's rarest stamps last weekend at the International Philatelic Exhibition in Washington, D.C., a once-in-a-decade event that brings the finest postal artifacts to American soil.

But the convention's buzz of excitement was tempered by some peculiar stamp news: Hewlett-Packard is about to become the first company to launch its own "personalized postage," meaning that the Palo Alto-based corporation soon will send first-class mail with postage bearing the familiar "hp" logo in place of a regular stamp.

The move is another sign of how the Internet is transforming American law, commerce and culture. In January, lobbyists for the nascent personalized postage industry persuaded Congress to amend an 1872 law forbidding advertisements on American currency, including postage.

The result: On May 16 the U.S. Postal Service approved a one-year trial that allows businesses to purchase custom postage from private companies that contract with the Postal Service. From the Nike Swoosh to McDonald's Golden Arches, to perhaps even Playboy magazine's bunny ears, corporations now can use the upper right corner of an envelope to promote their brands.

Hopefully, this will get people to see that a postal monopoly isn't necessary.