# Komen Foundation Bullying Mom & Pop Charities over "For the Cure" and the color pink **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 4, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419 "2011-01-04T22:49:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![heatmiserfl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df705f/32.png) [@heatmiserfl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heatmiserfl)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/41 "2011-01-06T13:27:50Z")
> [@Uzzah](#): > > [Charitynavigator report for Komen Foundation For the Cure](http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4509): 83% of funds to program expenses > > [Charitynavigator report for American Cancer Socierty](http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=6495): 72% of funds to program expenses > > [Charitynavigator report for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital](http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12847): 73% of funds to program expenses > > You were saying? Oops got my ass handed to me on that one. Could swear it was Komen that was criticized for high overhead and PR costs. Maybe that was in the past or maybe I was thinking of another breast cancer charity altogether like the American Breast Cancer Foundation which got an F from AIP ([http://www.charitywatch.org/articles/cancer.html](http://www.charitywatch.org/articles/cancer.html)). Also, I didn’t mean to imply that NCI has a small overhead (I have no idea what their overhead is particularly since they also pay overhead to universities) just that you can even donate to the NCI. So not only was my memory off but the post was sloppily written. Just pretend it never happened. :o ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/42 "2011-01-07T20:35:06Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > New slogan: _The Komen Foundation – Being Douchebags For The Cure Since 2011_. Oh, no, they’ve been douchebags for much longer than that. > [@PunditLisa](#): > > Personally, I thought getting all sue-happy was contrary to the laid-back let’s-work-it-all-out-over-some-tequila image Buffet had crafted for himself over the years. He once kidnapped Kenny Loggins and forced him to write music for _Footloose_, you know. > [@robby](#): > > I don’t know about that. There was a restaurant chain here in Connecticut named “Margaritaville” that was forced to change their name to “Margarita’s” after hearing from Buffett’s attorneys. This particular issue has already been discussed, but for the record: being sued over something doesn’t make it illegal. People stop legal activities all the time at the mere threat of legal action from someone with a bigger wallet, simply because they can’t afford what will certainly be a long, drawn-out fight to prove that they’re in the right. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/43 "2011-01-07T20:40:02Z")
My wife (an attorney) has told me that intellectual property and copyrights have to be defended VERY aggressively, or else they run the risk of genericization. In other words, Komen’s doing the exact right thing if they want to hang onto the rights to the “For the Cure” and pink ribbon items. That doesn’t necessarily make it a great PR move, but legally, it’s the way to go. (any doper lawyers, feel free to chime in and correct me or whatever) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/44 "2011-01-07T21:10:21Z")
> [@bump](#): > > In other words, Komen’s doing the exact right thing if they want to hang onto the rights to the “For the Cure” Why do they deserve the rights to “For the Cure”? It’s not like the have an exclusive trademark on that generic phrase; there are 499 trademarks registered at [USPTO.gov](http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=searchss&state=4001:22rv7m.1.1)that use the phrase, “For the Cure”, and only 10 of them belong to Komen. And why do they also defend the use of just the word, “Cure”? This is a frivolous lawsuit they deserve to lose. Too bad none of the plaintiffs have money to burn like Komen. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/45 "2011-01-07T22:07:54Z")
Exactly. Our issue is not that they’re aggressively protecting a trademarked phrase–we understand how that works. We’re just incredulous that they think they have some sort of exclusive claim to a very generic snippet of the English language. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/46 "2011-01-07T22:12:07Z")
Thirded. What’s the problem if “for the cure” is genericized? It’s not a product and Komen’s sales aren’t going to decrease. The only thing that would happen is that other charities and groups would be able to use the phrase, and there’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to use it. There are lots of groups out there trying to cure diseases and nobody’s taking any money out of Komen’s pocket. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/47 "2011-01-07T22:18:36Z")
Well, unless you’re positing donors with infinite funds, it really does tend to be a zero-sum game. ISTM that most people, especially people making larger donations, are going to have preset amounts that they donate during a given time period, and those funds going to Charity A means that Charity B doesn’t get them. So, yes, they potentially would be taking money out of Komen’s pocket–or, more accurately, diverting it to their own before it even gets there. However, they are all presumably good causes and Komen needs to reconsider their fucking ethics. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/48 "2011-01-07T22:44:40Z")
If all they do is tell their lawyers to bark at them, fine, no big hairy ass deal. If they actually drag this into court, and money goes to lawyers rather than cancer… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/49 "2011-01-07T23:12:48Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Well, unless you’re positing donors with infinite funds, it really does tend to be a zero-sum game. ISTM that most people, especially people making larger donations, are going to have preset amounts that they donate during a given time period, and those funds going to Charity A means that Charity B doesn’t get them. So, yes, they potentially would be taking money out of Komen’s pocket–or, more accurately, diverting it to their own before it even gets there. There are only so many dollars out there for charities, true. But if you look at it from that perspective, all charities are the competition, not just the ones who use “for the cure” on their letterhead. > [@elucidator](#): > > If all they do is tell their lawyers to bark at them, fine, no big hairy ass deal. If they actually drag this into court, and money goes to lawyers rather than cancer… Read the link in the OP. This is costing other charities money, and as quoted upthread, Komen spends $1 million a year on this. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/50 "2011-01-08T04:50:31Z")
> [@heatmiserfl](#): > > Komen is notorious for wasting its money on crap like this. They have huge overhead costs compared to other agencies like the American Cancer Society or even the National Cancer Institute or St. Jude’s for childhood cancer. There’s all kinds of places to donate for cancer research and if you want to focus on breast cancer, many places will allow you to put you money into that specialty. The National Cancer Institute isn’t a charity. It’s an agency of the US Federal Government. It does fund a lot more cancer research than all the cancer charities combined though. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/51 "2011-01-10T17:22:28Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > But if you look at it from that perspective, all charities are the competition, not just the ones who use “for the cure” on their letterhead. Yup, unfortunately, they are. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/52 "2011-01-10T18:21:26Z")
> [@bump](#): > > My wife (an attorney) has told me that intellectual property and copyrights have to be defended VERY aggressively, or else they run the risk of genericization. > > In other words, Komen’s doing the exact right thing if they want to hang onto the rights to the “For the Cure” and pink ribbon items. > > That doesn’t necessarily make it a great PR move, but legally, it’s the way to go. > > (any doper lawyers, feel free to chime in and correct me or whatever) This was my thought. If the Komen Foundation DOESN’T defend their brand aggressively, then they are going to see a lot of companies slap a pink ribbon on a product to try to get a free ride off of the Komen’s work in publicizing the cause. The KF has put a lot of money and effort into awareness, so why should other charities benefit from that money and effort? ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/53 "2011-01-10T18:37:41Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > “Dribble for the cure” is trademarked. (yes, basketball and cancer) > … So what term will the people who suffer from urinary incontinence use for their organization? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/54 "2011-01-10T18:39:14Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > The KF has put a lot of money and effort into awareness, so why should other charities benefit from that money and effort? Because there are dozens of trademarks using some variation of “For the Cure” registered with the USPTO to owners other than Komen. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/55 "2011-01-10T18:39:46Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > This was my thought. If the Komen Foundation DOESN’T defend their brand aggressively, then they are going to see a lot of companies slap a pink ribbon on a product to try to get a free ride off of the Komen’s work in publicizing the cause. > > The KF has put a lot of money and effort into awareness, so why should other charities benefit from that money and effort? I get it that Komen has to defend its marks. I see “KOMEN FOR THE CURE” and a “PINK RIBBON” as worthwhile to defend. What I fail to see is their justification for a vigorous defense of any variation of the phrase “for the cure” or “for a cure” or any claim to the word “cure” or any claim to the “color pink.” It’s almost like McDonald’s asserting a claim to the word “hamburger.” Making a claim to the use of pink is like McDonald’s claiming the “color gold.” I can see protecting “pink ribbons” and “golden arches” but I can’t see claiming as protected any use of “pink” or “gold.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/56 "2011-01-10T18:43:33Z")
[quote=“Lynn\_Bodoni, post:52, topic:566419”] This was my thought. If the Komen Foundation DOESN’T defend their brand aggressively, then they are going to see a lot of companies slap a pink ribbon on a product to try to get a free ride off of the Komen’s work in publicizing the cause.[/quotte] Heaven forefend a charity get a free ride. Why should anybody give a fuck about the Komen BRAND? > [@](#): > > The KF has put a lot of money and effort into awareness, so why should other charities benefit from that money and effort? Other charities also put a lot of effort into what they do, although few have the kind of resources Komen has. Does using a generic three word phrase really count as benefiting unfairly from Komen’s work? ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/57 "2011-01-10T18:51:50Z")
If it continues, Komen will get what it wants, a veritable monopoly on the word “cure” and the color “pink” as these mom & pop nonprofits yield … not because Komen is right, but because Komen is an 800 pound gorilla throwing its weight around and the mom & pop groups can’t afford to divert scarce donor dollars to fight the legal battles. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/58 "2011-01-10T19:12:49Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > This was my thought. If the Komen Foundation DOESN’T defend their brand aggressively, then they are going to see a lot of companies slap a pink ribbon on a product to try to get a free ride off of the Komen’s work in publicizing the cause. > > The KF has put a lot of money and effort into awareness, so why should other charities benefit from that money and effort? Because the whole idea is not (in theory) about building and defending a brand. It’s about achieving the cure. Charities shouldn’t benefit; victims and potential victims should benefit. ---
**Author:** ![heatmiserfl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df705f/32.png) [@heatmiserfl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heatmiserfl)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/59 "2011-01-10T19:17:01Z")
> [@ataraxy22](#): > > The National Cancer Institute isn’t a charity. It’s an agency of the US Federal Government. It does fund a lot more cancer research than all the cancer charities combined though. Yes, I realize that. Please read post #41. I meant that you can even donate to the NCI (in spite of the fact that it is a government agency). ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419/60 "2011-01-10T19:18:37Z")
Komen did at least introduce pink ribbons for breast cancer, at least as far as I know. But charities who use the words “for the cure” are not piggybacking on their work. It’s ludicrous to think that a lung cancer or heart disease charity is trying to benefit from Komen’s work when Komen is extremely well known for funding breast cancer research. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/komen-foundation-bullying-mom-pop-charities-over-for-the-cure-and-the-color-pink/566419.md?page=4)