Can You Trademark Awareness Of A Disease?
from the someone's-trying dept
BoingBoing has the latest story of trademark insanity, where a "charity" focused on the rare, but apparently serious disease of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), is trying to trademark the phrase "Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness" and appears to be threatening other charities for using the phrase, and (according to this petition) has filed complaints to get fundraising stores shut down for using the phrase. The whole thing is so bizarre, and so far outside the purpose of trademark law that it's really difficult to understand how this issue could have gone as far as it has. But, you have to say one thing for the charity doing this: they have "raised awareness" of CDH.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: awareness, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, trademark
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For example, you will quickly find about 230 different registered marks using "breast cancer" in association with other terms. Check out the USPTO trademark database if you harbor doubts. I am unaware of any crimp this has placed on others who establish organizations associated with breast cancer.
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It is so very hard to have a battle of wits with the unarmed.
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Actually, another charity organization would not be able to use the phrase, CDH awareness because this charity would own in. Just like Adidas can't use "Just do it" because its owned by Nike, any organization that performs a function simalar to that of CDH awareness,Breath of Hope, Inc would be bared from using this phrase in association with themselves. For instance, they couldn't say "we provide CDH awareness" or "we support CDH awareness" because that phrase is the legal "mark" of all trade pertaining to Breath of Hope, Inc.
Know I'm not that well verse in trademark law so I can't speak to the actual legality of this, but the idea does seem distasteful at the very least!
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Second, if this is really a legitimate, respectable charity trying to help this cause, why are they trying to stifle others' efforts to help the same cause? Sure, there is no law saying a charity has to be a "good" charity, but it certainly kills any sympathy I might have for them.
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Re: CDH Awareness
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Traipse on over the the USPTO trademark database and type in the term "breast cancer". Right now there are about 154 marks that use the term and are in force.
BTW, if the individual at the linked site understood what trademark law embraces and what it does not, she would almost certainly realize she is making a mountain out of something that is far, far smaller than a mole hill.
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Absolutely absurd, their true intentions are showing, and it's not pretty.
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Cancellation
http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=77436855
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They are trying to trademark "Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia awareness" which noone else involved with the illness would be allowed to use
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I am simply trying to help others frame the topic correctly.
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Trademark update
2008-12-04 - Cancellation Instituted No. 999999
Unless I am interpretting this wrong, the trademark has been cancelled by the USPTO, making any continued action to enforce the trademark blatently illegal.
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Re: Trademark update
The cancellation has not been issued as of yet. 12-04 is only date the Petition for Cancellation was filed.
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re jim
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I'm going to go trademark...
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hegemon13
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Branding
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Details - Details...
Petitions to cancel are the start of the suit - there must be proof which if you read the Petition, there is no legal reason listed to cancel said mark. Fraud is a basis which must be proven and first in use has been an argument long lost on Petitions. The othr organization appears not to have a conflicting mark - this also lessesn their argument. The only other legal reason listed is generic? The word Awareness itself is trademarked.
There are also countless other phrases - and this is one that are trademarked of other diseases and conditions.
By the way - this is a birth defect - not a disease. Details people...Interesting that the charity that has the mark is listed in the IRS and they come up in the database. The one that is making all the stink and filed the petition - go to the IRS under charities, why can't you pull CHERUBS up in the IRS search?
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Reasoning only a lawyer could love.
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For one who constantly criticizes persons who express opinions on this site that you feel reflect ingonorance of basic economic principles, it seems a bit hypocritical to criticize persons who express opinions on this site that do reflect substantive knowledge of applicable law.
Quick now...and without searching the internet or some other reference...can you identify the constitutional provision from which federal trademark law is derived? Likewise, what is the TMEP (again, no peeking)? If one understands even a modicum of substantive trademark law, they should be able to answer these questions in mere nanoseconds.
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Do you really feel so superior because you're a lawyer? You come here pretty much every day with some similar comment every day, and it doesn't make you look smart. It just makes you look like a condescending brat.
Yes, I'm quite aware of the constitutional backing of trademark law. It stems from the commerce clause because trademark law is about commerce. This is, of course, different from where copyright and patent law come from. Yay. So brilliant.
If I didn't know that, though, it wouldn't have made any freaking difference in understanding whether or not this bit of trademark law made sense. Bringing it up is meaningless to this discussion, and the only purpose of doing so is to give you another chance to appear smug and superior. I have no problem admitting that I'm unfamiliar with TMEP, so after doing so I've looked it up, and I see, again, that it's rather meaningless to the discussion, but I'm glad it makes you feel superior. That must be enjoyable.
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Back in the early 80s IP law underwent a cardinal change when it was "discovered" by non-IP lawyers as a potential cash cow. Suddenly all of them were holding themselves out as experts, and from that point forward I began noticing many of the abuses that regularly appear in news reports.
As in-house counsel for a Fortune 50 company I was constantly bombarded by attorneys trying to wine and dine me to get the company as a client. One of my small tests for trying to figure out who knew what they were talking about and who did not was to casually ask if they had a copy of the TMEP for me to take a quick look at to answer a question I had. Much more often than not I received a quizical (sp?) look, it being clear the person did not have a clue what I was talking about. That look sealed the deal...no deal if he/she did not know about one of the most basic resources needed to practice trademark law. This exemplifies in large measure part of the problem that underlies many of the problems you and others write about.
By the was, I happen to be a person who happens to practice law. My purpose in posting comments about the law that some seem to interpret as being argumentative is merely for the sake of accuracy. It is impossible to gauge what is and what is not a real issue without an accurate understanding of what the law entails. In this specific instance the linked site was started by an individual who is not familiar with the ins and outs of trademark law, and in situations such as this passion tends to overcome reason. People begin to say the law is an a**, which in this case is incorrect.
By the way, I am heartened you know about the commerce clause, not because it is the genesis for trademark law, but because it demonstrates your sensitivity to one of the most important powers of Congress that is regularly abused under pressure from special interest groups.
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Re: Re: CDH Awareness
I looked up CHERUBS on the IRS site and several charity sites and their state site and it looks to me that they are in good standing and have been in existence for a long time. It took some searching but I found their IRS paperwork on their extensive site also. I could not find the word Awareness itself trademarked.
In doing this search which only goes to show that I have entirely too much time on my hands I found several interesting documents on the history of this Elizabeth person.
I am not a man easily swayed by female drama but I found myself popping popcorn and reading these documents until 3am. I would recommend that CHERUBS file charges against her and Breath of Hope on several grounds. At the very least someone needs to sue this woman in hopes that a judge will order psychiatric care or counseling and a proverbial time out since it seems that she cannot play well with others.
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The organizations that don't say anything and don't air the dirt - or galf it off and just continue to do their work - ahum - Obama Campaign vs. McCain - for example. Usually have the winning ace up their sleave.
The answer was filed and the CEO may be an attorney or in law by the way it is written - if not - she's brighter than this one begging for an attorney who wrote a piss poor Petition.
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Re: brown65
CHERUBS can be found on Guidestar - http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu6cAb2tJ01kBfHhXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTBybnZlZnRlBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2Fj MgR2dGlkAw--/SIG=130c8mt5c/EXP=1231863936/**http%3a//www.guidestar.org/pqShowGsReport.do%3fpartner=j ustgive%26npoId=191819
Our financial documents and IRS letters are available for download on our site -
http://www.cdhsupport.org/members/dload.php
Jim, if you are offering your services pro bono to help us stop this behavior, please feel free to contact me. This is extended to all lawyers here. A good pro bono NC or VA lawyer to help end this once and for all would be a great help to our charity.
Thank you all for your support, analysis, signatures on our petition, and for raising CDH awareness. On behalf of over 2600 CDH families and medical professionals, our sincerest appreciation goes to you all.
Dawn Williamson
President & Founder
CHERUBS - The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Awareness and Support
dawn.williamson@cherubs-cdh.org
http://www.cdhsupport.org
http://www.cdhresearch.org
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Re: Jonann (aka Elizabeth Doyle-Propst)
The comment I made about a pro bono attorney was for a slander and corporate tort suit to finally gain some peace for CDH families from this woman.
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CDH Awareness
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