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A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit in which the Girl Scouts had claimed that the Boy Scouts had created branding confusion and damaged its recruitment efforts by using words like “scouts” and “scouting” in its own marketing materials. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan ruled that the Boy Scouts of America could describe its activities as “scouting” without reference to gender and that “there are no issues to be tried.”
“The Boy Scouts adopted the scout terms to describe accurately the coed nature of programming, not to confuse or exploit Girl Scouts’ reputation,” Judge Hellerstein wrote in his ruling. “Such branding is consistent with the scout-formative branding Boy Scouts has used for a century, including in its coed programs that have existed since the 1970s,” he wrote. He wrote that the term “scout” described both the Boy Scouts’ and Girl Scouts’ programming. “The Boy Scouts’ decision to become coed, even if it affects Girl Scouts’ operations, does not demonstrate bad faith,” the judge said, adding that “a reasonable jury could not conclude that the adoption of the Scout Terms was in bad faith.”
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In a statement on Thursday, the Girl Scouts said that it was “deeply disappointed” with the judge’s decision and that it planned to appeal. “This case is about ensuring that parents are not misled into thinking that Girl Scouts are part of or the same as the Boy Scouts,” the organization added.
Good decision. I thought the lawsuit was silly when filed.... in 2018. It's amazing that this was allowed to linger for five years. Good to see it's finally put to rest.