Trademark infringement disputes are not limited to those between
for-profit companies. Indeed, charities also own trademarks
and they can and do enforce their trademarks against other
organizations (charitable or not) through cease and desist letters,
lawsuits, etc.
Case in point: Last week, Mothers Against Drunk Driving
("MADD"), a non-profit founded in 1980, sued the founders
of a relatively new charity, Mothers Of Drunk Drivers
("MODD"), for trademark infringement and dilution of
MADD's trademarks and service marks. MADD's
complaint, filed in the District of South Carolina, claims
that MODD's use of the marks MOTHERS OF DRUNK DRIVERS and MODD
is confusingly similar to MADD's federally-registered MOTHERS
AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING and MADD marks and that the MADD
and MOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING marks are famous in South
Carolina and throughout the United States. Among other
claims, MADD's complaint also asserts
a cybersquatting claim based upon MODD's use
