Protecting Scouts honor
Girl Scouts file suit against Boy Scouts for name change
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America filed a trademark infringement lawsuit Tuesday against the Boy Scouts of America for dropping the word “boy” from its flagship program in an effort to attract girls.
In the complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, the Girl Scouts claim the program “does not have a right under either federal or New York law to use terms like scouts or scouting by themselves in connection with services offered to girls, or to rebrand itself as ‘the Scouts.’ ”
“Such misconduct will not only cause confusion among the public, damage the goodwill of GSUSA’s Girl Scouts trademarks, and erode its core brand identity, but it will also marginalize the Girl Scouts Movement by caus- ing the public to believe that GSUSA’s extraordinarily successful services are not true or official ‘Scouting’ programs, but niche services with limited utility and appeal,” the complaint said.
The Girl Scouts is among a number of major youth organizations in the nation seeing declines in membership in recent years.
In May, the Boy Scouts — the program for 11- to 17year-olds — announced it would change its name to Scouts BSA in February. The parent organization will remain the Boy Scouts of America, and the Cub Scouts — its program serving children from kindergarten through fifth grade — will keep its title as well.
The organization already has started admitting girls into the Cub Scouts, and Scouts BSA begins accepting girls next year.
The Girls Scouts claim it has already been damaged by the name change announcement.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction against trademark breaches and monetary damages.