Girl Scouts Sue Boys; Local Chapters Not Part Of Name Change Suit

NEW YORK, NY — The Girl Scouts of the USA are suing the Boy Scouts for trademark infringement, much to the chagrin of some parents with children in both organizations. But don’t gripe to your local chapter — the national organization, based in New York City, filed the lawsuit Tuesday. None of the 112 chartered local councils nationwide took legal action, the Girl Scouts told Patch on Thursday.

The national organization of the Girl Scouts Movement oversees the brand’s assets and intellectual property. It was that group that took legal action against the national Boy Scouts organization, and it did so to protect the Girl Scouts’ “mission and brand and prevent confusion in the marketplace.”

As you might recall, the Boy Scouts organization previously announced its namesake program for older kids was dropping the word “Boy” from its name in favor something a little more inclusive and gender-neutral. The program known as the Boy Scouts would be renamed “Scouts BSA.” The change would go into effect in February 2019 and the group planned to begin accepting girls in 2019. The organization also unveiled its new “Scout Me In” campaign, where both girls and boys could become Cub Scouts for the first time.

But the changes didn’t sit right with the Girl Scouts. Leaders at the time said they were blindsided by the move, and the group filed a lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. It says the Boy Scouts are using their trademarks in a “new and uniquely damaging” manner, and deploying misleading marketing tactics, such as prominently displaying quotes from Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low on marketing materials. This has led people to believe the groups merged or that the Girl Scouts no longer exist.

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The Boy Scouts rebranding effort — particularly in calling all participants “Scouts” with no gender modifier — damages the Girl Scouts brand, the lawsuit states. The Girl Scouts say the BSA has no right to use “Scouts” or “Scouting” in connection to services offered to girls, and it can’t rebrand itself as “the Scouts” because that sends a false message that there’s now only one organization that teaches girls how to become leaders. The move marginalizes the girls group by making it appear as if they don’t offer “true or official ‘Scouting’ programs,” but rather “niche services with limited utility and appeal,” the lawsuit alleges.

Some parents and kids have even been falsely told the two groups merged, or that the Girl Scouts simply no longer exist, the suit said. Some have even mistakenly signed their girls up for the new Boy Scouts programs

The Girl Scouts, like many youth groups, have been grappling with declining membership in recent years. Boy Scouts has more than 2.4 million youths and Girl Scouts has about 1.8 million members.

Some parents have taken to social media to complain to local chapters about the lawsuit. When the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania posted that it was not part of the lawsuit, Facebook user Kara Butler commented that the action was a “waste of time and money.” Butler, who said she has a child in both programs, said she the Girl Scouts should focus on improving its own programs and making girls feel more welcome.

“If they are choosing BSA over Girl Scouts then obviously GSA isn’t providing what they need,” she wrote. “Sad and honestly embarrassing.”

Fellow commenter Jennifer Avazian, who identified herself as a troop leader, expressed similar feelings. She wrote that she wishes the Girl Scouts would improve and modernize its programs, and perhaps combine efforts with the Boy Scouts, rather than take them to court.

“If enrollment is down for both GS and BSA, then maybe it’s time to consolidate into a single scouting program with a sort of menu option approach / activity choices for all,” she wrote.

The Boy Scouts said in a statement to media outlets it will “carefully” review the lawsuit. The group says it applauds “every organization that builds character and leadership in children,” including the Girl Scouts of the USA, and believes “there is an opportunity for both organizations to serve girls and boys.”

Read the complaint on Scribd.

Photo credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

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