"PTA sues rival group based in Mass. over ads, trademark" by Michael Tarm |
Associated Press, September 27, 2012
CHICAGO — The nonprofit PTA sued a for-profit rival Wednesday,
accusing it of denigrating the established group in a bid to siphon off
members.
The National Parent Teacher Association, an iconic group that has
been part of America’s cultural backdrop for more than a century but
whose membership is in decline, filed its lawsuit in US District Court
in Chicago.
The PTA — with primary offices in Alexandria, Va., and Chicago —
boasted 12 million members during its heyday in the ’60s but has seen
its ranks dwindle to less than half that. The defendant,
Massachusetts-based PTO Today, has set itself up as an alternative to
the group.
The 15-page lawsuit names School Family Media Inc., the parent
company of PTO Today, accusing it of trademark infringement, false
advertising,and deceptive trade practices, among other allegations....
The PTA, founded in 1897 as the National Congress of Mothers, has a
network of state and local affiliates; it contends it is influential in
the corridors of power and is a collective national voice on key
educational issues....
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