It's hard to take any legal system seriously, when just about anyone can sue over how a word is used to name a group or a product without taking the context of how it's used into account.
The lengths some take in order to "protect" what they think of as their intellectual property is just plain wrong. A case that comes as a perfect example of this point is the Boy Scouts of America treating to sue a group called Hacker Scouts over the use of the word Scouts.
I don't really know why should the Boy Scouts of America need to do this, since Hacker Scouts are dedicated to teach children raging from eight to 12 do protects having to do with science and engineering. Which is not the things that Boy Scouts do, but not something that is demeaning or that's unlawful.
Other than that both are Scouts, the other thing that both organizations have in common is that fact that both give out badges that earn by completing projects.
I can't see how anyone could confuse the two, or why Boy Scouts of America could have a problem with an organization like Hackers Scouts being scouts too. Both organizations are doing things that are great for both society and individuals, yet are doing so by different means.
Hacker Scouts should be allowed to keep the Scouts for their name, since I don't see them misusing the word or how they could be confused with the Boy Scouts. The organization is doing a great thing to promote science and engineering among kids, which is needed if we want to keep our world getting better for all.
I leave you the links to the page of the Hacker Scouts page and to the article in Ars Technica with the Boy Scouts of America actions against them below:
Spread the word, and support Hacker Scouts to keep their name.
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