Boy Scouts of America force Hacker Scouts to change its name

READ MORE

BSA sent second letter to the Hacker Scouts saying that “scouts” is trademarked. 

by Megan Geuss

In August, a small Oakland-based kids’ group called the Hacker Scouts received a letter from none other than the Boy Scouts of America. The letter insisted—to the group leaders’ disbelief—that the term “scouts” is trademarked to the BSA via a 1919 Congressional charter (the charter extends to select other groups, like the Girl Scouts, as well). The BSA demanded that Hacker Scouts change its name or face legal ramifications.

At the time, Hacker Scouts said it would decide how to respond “based on advice from our lawyers and our own sense of duty.”

But last week, the BSA sent a second letter to the Hacker Scouts leaders. As Hacker Scouts cofounder Samantha Matalone Cook wrote on the group’s site: “[W]e have received another letter from the BSA refusing to compromise or consider a licensing agreement and reaffirming their demand that we change our name or they will take legal action.”

As Hacker Scouts Director of Guild Development and co-founder Garratt Gallagher told Ars in an e-mail, the group has decided to change its name rather than face litigation. “Hacker Scouts is focusing its efforts on its primary mission: educating kids,” wrote Gallagher.

Ars contacted the BSA but has not yet received a reply.

In Cook’s post, she acknowledged that the group’s decision was far from perfect:

We know this will disappoint some of you. We know some of you wanted us to fight this. We don't blame you. We had those same feelings. But our job is to keep our organization focused on its mission. Our job is to make this kind of education as accessible and affordable to as many kids as we can. It came down to how does this further our goals and objectives? And it doesn't.

The group formerly known as Hacker Scouts has not picked a new name yet. But the rebranding hasn’t stymied the group so far; as Gallagher wrote in an e-mail to Ars, the scouts are adding several new badges, including "Fire Safety, Pyrotechnics, and 4 space-related badges” and are establishing a national headquarters office in Oakland.

Courtesy: arstechnica

Browse More Articles

Tweet

Written by Unknown

Learn Programming Language, Web Development and more Online without any cost!!!