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Girl Scouts of the USA wants to take Boy Scouts of America to
court. The organization has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the
Boy Scouts of trademark infringement.

This started last October, when the Boy Scouts said it would
start allowing girls to join its programs.

That decision was strongly decried by the Girl Scouts. In a
scathing letter released by BuzzFeed News, Girl Scouts National
President Kathy Hopinkah Hannan accused the Boy Scouts' national
president at the time, Randall Stephenson, of carrying out a
"covert campaign" to recruit girls.

Hannan stressed the century-old working relationship between the
two organizations. "We are confused as to why, rather than
working to appeal to the 90 percent of boys who are not involved
in BSA programs, you would choose to target girls," she wrote.

When the Boy Scouts announced it would start to admit girls, it
said that it made the decision after years of requests. It also
expected programs that serve the "whole family" would be more
convenient and appealing to busy parents, to single parents and
in some minority communities.

On Wednesday, the Boy Scouts said it is reviewing the lawsuit.
In an emailed statement, it added: "We applaud every
organization that builds character and leadership in children,
including the Girl Scouts of the USA, and believe that there is
an opportunity for both organizations to serve youth in our
communities."

In the complaint filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of New York, the Girl Scouts argue that
the Boy Scouts' use of certain trademarks is "both new and
uniquely damaging" to the organization.

One of the Boy Scouts' programs is called Scouts BSA, which
caters to boys and girls 11 to 17 years old. The organization
also recently launched a campaign called "Scout Me In." It's the
generic use of "Scouts," without a gender marker, that the Girl
Scouts object to.

"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 causing 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 reads.

The Girl Scouts accuse the Boy Scouts of using misleading
advertising that might cause families to believe the two
organizations have merged and are now one and the same. For
example, it says materials disseminated by the Boy Scouts
feature a quote from the founder of the Girl Scouts.

Boy Scouts say it currently has "more than 2.4 million youth
participants" – according to Reuters, that's "less than half of
its 1970s peak." Girl Scouts says it has "1.8 million girl
members."

Not all Boy Scout groups are co-ed. "Starting in 2018, families
can choose to sign up their sons and daughters for Cub Scouts,"
the organization wrote in October. "Existing packs may choose to
establish a new girl pack, establish a pack that consists of
girl dens and boy dens or remain an all-boy pack," and "Cub
Scout dens will be single-gender — all boys or all girls."

While the Boy Scout's October decision dramatically expanded its
offerings for girls, the organization points out that it has had
co-ed Exploring and Venturing programs since 1971.

The Girl Scouts are asking the Boy Scouts to stop using stand-
alone terms like "Scout" or "Scouting" and to train its troops
and leadership accordingly. The organization has asked for a
jury trial.

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/07/665308785/girl-scouts-of-the-usa- files-suit-against-boy-scouts-of-america
 

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