The Boy Scouts of America (BSA)’s decision last year to end its boys-only policy was met with mixed reactions. Some lauded it as a progressive victory. Others, including former Girl Scouts, viewed it as a thinly-veiled corporate strategy and a loss for girls. As part of an early adopter program, more than 3,000 girls have already signed up to be BSA Cub Scouts.
To help solidify its more inclusive policies, the Boy Scouts also announced a new branding strategy. Beginning in 2019, the organization will be known as Scouts BSA. The rebranding efforts include a new tag line: “Scout Me In.”
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) has been openly and decisively against the Boy Scouts’ policy change. In a public letter to the Boy Scouts, the GSUSA expressed its concern regarding what it perceived as the “short-sightedness of thinking that running a program specifically tailored to boys can simply be translated to girls.”
In a blog post on its website, GSUSA wrote, “We believe strongly in the importance of the all-girl, girl-led, and girl-friendly environment that Girl Scouts provides, which creates a free space for girls to learn and thrive.” It continued, “The benefit of the single-gender environment has been well-documented by educators, scholars, other girl- and youth-serving organizations, and Girl Scouts and their families. Girl Scouts offers a one-of-a-kind experience for girls with a program tailored specifically to their unique developmental needs.”
The Girl Scouts are now suing the Boy Scouts for trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and unfair competition. The GSUSA asserts that its right to use the SCOUT and SCOUTING marks in connection with development programs for girls has been long recognized by the TTAB and the Boy Scouts. GSUSA notes that the two organizations’ use of the SCOUT, SCOUTS and SCOUTING marks have, until recently, “either been preceded by words like BOY or GIRL . . . or appeared in a context making clear that the programs at issue were developed by one organization or the other.” In the complaint, the Girl Scouts provide evidence of confusion among the public resulting from the Boy Scouts’ use of the ungendered terms. Cited examples include cases of girls accidentally signing up for Boy Scouts programs and parents believing the two organizations have merged.
The GSUSA seeks an order blocking the Boy Scouts from using SCOUT, SCOUTS, SCOUTING, or SCOUTS BSA without “an inherently distinctive or distinguishing terms appearing immediately before it,” in connection with services directed to girls.
This is not the first time the two groups have fought over branding. Prior to 1917, the Girl Scouts were instead known as the Girl Guides. When the change to “Girl Scouts” was announced, the chief executive of the Boy Scouts accused the group of “trivialize[ing]” and “sissify[ing]” the term. According to the Atlantic, the Boy Scouts even sued over the name change.
The post SCOUTING Trademark Infringement: Girl Scouts v. Boy Scouts appeared first on DuetsBlog.
Via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8247012 http://www.rssmix.com/
Comments
Post a Comment