Venable partner Andrew Price was quoted in a Wall Street Journal article ("Charity Brawl: Nonprofits Aren't So Generous When a Name's at Stake") about the rise in legal battles among nonprofit organizations as they seek to protect their brands and prevent donor confusion caused by similar sounding organization names and/or graphic identities. The story appeared on page one of the August 5, 2010 edition of the Journal.
The story details recent legal actions by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Lance Armstrong Foundation and other organizations to prevent other nonprofits from using names, colors and type styles similar to the organizations’ well-known trademarks. The disputes have ranged from cease and desist letters sent to small events such as “kites for a cure” to multi-million dollar litigation over ownership of donations mistakenly sent to an organization with a name similar to a well-known charity for wounded veterans.
"The days are probably over when nonprofits just said, 'We'll just get along with anybody who's a nonprofit because we're all trying to do good here,'" Price told the Journal.
The story details recent legal actions by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Lance Armstrong Foundation and other organizations to prevent other nonprofits from using names, colors and type styles similar to the organizations’ well-known trademarks. The disputes have ranged from cease and desist letters sent to small events such as “kites for a cure” to multi-million dollar litigation over ownership of donations mistakenly sent to an organization with a name similar to a well-known charity for wounded veterans.
"The days are probably over when nonprofits just said, 'We'll just get along with anybody who's a nonprofit because we're all trying to do good here,'" Price told the Journal.