| © 2008 Youthscouts. All rights reserved. |
| STATEMENT OF YOUTHSCOUTS' FOUNDERS REGARDING LITIGATION WITH THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA |
Friends and fellow scouts:
Those who know the history of scouting know that scouting was not
intended to be a monopoly. On the contrary it was, by design,
intended to be a teaching methodology, freely used by other youth
organizations and even by independent troops who wished to form
solely for the purpose of scouting.
Independent scouting flourished in the United States well before the
Boy Scouts of America formed in 1910, and competing
organizations existed along with the BSA for many years--groups
like the American Boy Scouts, the New England Boy Scouts, and the
Lone Scouts of America.
By 1924, however, the BSA, through mergers and even litigation,
became the only remaining scouting organization in the United
States--for boys, that is. The Girl Scouts of the United States of
America formed in 1912, and has always been an independent
scouting organization. Consequently, at no time in the history of
scouting in America has the BSA ever been the sole or exclusive
scouting organization.
Youthscouts formed in 2002 as a start-up with a mission to offer
independent scouting in America, a scouting program that would
not discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, or religious
beliefs--matters that had been the subject of controversy and even
litigation by others with the BSA. It was not the desire or
expectation of Youthscouts to become part of any dispute with the
BSA. We simply wanted to offer independent scouting programs on
a non-discriminatory basis.
Youthscouts founder filed a trademark registration application
which was approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office after
their independent review of trademarks in the United States,
including those of the BSA and the Girl Scouts of the United States
of America as well. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
determined that Youthscouts' trademark was proper and did not
infringe any third-party rights based on their review of the records.
The application was published for opposition, a routine step before
final registration, at which point the BSA filed a lawsuit with the
U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board objecting to the use of
"Youthscouts" as a trademark for a competing scouting program.
Soon it became clear the BSA objected to any use of the terms
"scout" and "scouting" for an independent scouting program. When
efforts to settle the dispute failed, Youthscouts filed a declaratory
judgment action with the local U.S. District Court for the Northern
District of California seeking resolution of the controversy and
confirmation that "scout" and "scouting" are generic terms for
scouting programs, free for use by competing programs based on
Baden-Powell's program.
The case is scheduled to go to trial on August 11, 2008. At stake is
nothing less than whether independent scouting, as intended by
Baden-Powell, and as it existed in the United States prior to 1924,
and as it still exists in other countries around the world, will be
permitted to exist in the United States again.
There is room for independent scouting in America. Support
Youthscouts in our fight to survive. Write to the Boy Scouts of
America and respectfully object to their efforts to maintain a
monopoly in scouting for boys. Write to your representatives in
Congress. Read Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys, the work that
started the scouting movement in 1908, and learn what scouting is
really about.
Greg Wrenn, Co-Founder
Emma Wrenn, Co-Founder
Those who know the history of scouting know that scouting was not
intended to be a monopoly. On the contrary it was, by design,
intended to be a teaching methodology, freely used by other youth
organizations and even by independent troops who wished to form
solely for the purpose of scouting.
Independent scouting flourished in the United States well before the
Boy Scouts of America formed in 1910, and competing
organizations existed along with the BSA for many years--groups
like the American Boy Scouts, the New England Boy Scouts, and the
Lone Scouts of America.
By 1924, however, the BSA, through mergers and even litigation,
became the only remaining scouting organization in the United
States--for boys, that is. The Girl Scouts of the United States of
America formed in 1912, and has always been an independent
scouting organization. Consequently, at no time in the history of
scouting in America has the BSA ever been the sole or exclusive
scouting organization.
Youthscouts formed in 2002 as a start-up with a mission to offer
independent scouting in America, a scouting program that would
not discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, or religious
beliefs--matters that had been the subject of controversy and even
litigation by others with the BSA. It was not the desire or
expectation of Youthscouts to become part of any dispute with the
BSA. We simply wanted to offer independent scouting programs on
a non-discriminatory basis.
Youthscouts founder filed a trademark registration application
which was approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office after
their independent review of trademarks in the United States,
including those of the BSA and the Girl Scouts of the United States
of America as well. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
determined that Youthscouts' trademark was proper and did not
infringe any third-party rights based on their review of the records.
The application was published for opposition, a routine step before
final registration, at which point the BSA filed a lawsuit with the
U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board objecting to the use of
"Youthscouts" as a trademark for a competing scouting program.
Soon it became clear the BSA objected to any use of the terms
"scout" and "scouting" for an independent scouting program. When
efforts to settle the dispute failed, Youthscouts filed a declaratory
judgment action with the local U.S. District Court for the Northern
District of California seeking resolution of the controversy and
confirmation that "scout" and "scouting" are generic terms for
scouting programs, free for use by competing programs based on
Baden-Powell's program.
The case is scheduled to go to trial on August 11, 2008. At stake is
nothing less than whether independent scouting, as intended by
Baden-Powell, and as it existed in the United States prior to 1924,
and as it still exists in other countries around the world, will be
permitted to exist in the United States again.
There is room for independent scouting in America. Support
Youthscouts in our fight to survive. Write to the Boy Scouts of
America and respectfully object to their efforts to maintain a
monopoly in scouting for boys. Write to your representatives in
Congress. Read Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys, the work that
started the scouting movement in 1908, and learn what scouting is
really about.
Greg Wrenn, Co-Founder
Emma Wrenn, Co-Founder