Live Fit and Sore

Susan G. Komen Foundation Elbows Out Charities Over Use Of The Word ‘Cure’

I am hoping this is a case of misreporting — I often tell people to make sure they know where their donation money is going. Every non-profit is required to publicly account for their money. We owe it to the cause and ourselves to ensure that our money is indeed going for its intended purpose —

In addition to raising millions of dollars a year for breast cancer research, fundraising giant Susan G. Komen for the Cure has a lesser-known mission that eats up donor funds: patrolling the waters for other charities and events around the country that use any variation of “for the cure” in their names.

So far, Komen has identified and filed legal trademark oppositions against more than a hundred of these Mom and Pop charities, including Kites for a Cure, Par for The Cure, Surfing for a Cure and Cupcakes for a Cure–and many of the organizations are too small and underfunded to hold their ground.

via Susan G. Komen Foundation Elbows Out Charities Over Use Of The Word ‘Cure’.

Stephanie Hoaglund

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8 responses to “Susan G. Komen Foundation Elbows Out Charities Over Use Of The Word ‘Cure’”

  1. So, not to be all heartless lawyer, but I can see why the Komen Foundation is pursuing all these lawsuits. They have spent the money to trademark something and to market themselves, and probably have a lot of branded materials with their registered trademark. Under trademark law, if Komen doesn’t defend its trademark and prevent other people from using its trademark, then Komen will lose the trademark. It is their responsibility to defend their trademark and ensure that it is associated with them. Other charities using similar phrases has the potential to confuse the marketplace and make the trademarked phrase no longer solely associated with Komen.

    But, frankly, I’m often skeptical of the larger charitable organizations in general. They often have huge administrative overhead and only a very small portion of the funds donated actually go directly to the cause they represent. So I echo your plee for people to do the research before they donate.