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Old 02-11-2008, 01:17 PM
SAEalumnus SAEalumnus is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,756
Quote:
Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS View Post
I remember when someone from the Philipines group created a thread on here last year, I believe.

It confused me. I thought they were just a chapter in the Philipines.
Exactly. That's precisely what they're trying to convey: that they're in some manner an extension of our Fraternity. The fact is, they have never been formally associated with our Fraternity beyond being very briefly an 'interest group.' To me, what they're doing is analagous to expressing an interest in pledging, but not being able/willing to even start, much less complete the process, dropping out, and 'creating' their own 'SAE' using our protected marks. Then they wonder why those who hold SAE dear to their hearts would take offense to their actions.

They've attempted to justify their actions by relaying that they're recognized by their local government and educational authorities as a fraternity with this name, but they can't ever present a rational argument to justify why so many of their websites, t-shirts, flags, and other imagery are clearly stolen from our Fraternity. They've even gone as far as using terms of SAE-Philippines vs. SAE-USA, as though both are two halves of the same whole. Considering our Founding date predates their whole organization by a century, we are the original, the real, and the only SAE, not just SAE-USA. They squandered the opportunity they once had to become legitimate members of our Fraternity in favor of defining themselves as impostors simply because it was easier and less expensive.

They can assert their standing as an officially recognized organization in their country all they want. It's bad enough that they're using our name, but they'll continue to be considered impostors with respect to Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity unless and until they cease and desist with all use or display of any and all of OUR protected marks by all of their chapters and members. To be explicitly clear, those include all of the following and any derivative works thereof [ref: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)]:
  • Trademarked flag (Serial# 75538565, Reg.# 2346560)
  • Trademarked coat of arms (Serial# 71670125, Reg.# 0617623)
  • Trademarked name/letters (SAE) (Serial# 71589597, Reg.# 0538680)
  • Trademarked name/letters (FA) (Serial# 71302055, Reg.# 0277162)
  • Trademarked typed drawing - True Gentleman (Serial# 76330928, Reg.# 2674447)
  • Trademarked typed drawing - Sigma Alpha Epsilon (Serial# 76198084, Reg.# 2665456)
  • Trademarked pledge badge design (Serial# 74187138, Reg.# 1706605)
  • Trademarked Active badge design (Serial# 71670126, Reg.# 0617624)
  • Trademarked design - True Gentleman Initiative (Serial# 76330930)
  • Trademarked design - crosses (Serial#76330929)
  • Content taken from The Phoenix (our pledge manual) or from any of our other published literature.
  • Imagery taken from any of our websites or publications including images of our Founders.
This means no banners, flags, website images, website backgrounds, text, advertisements, tshirts, or media of any form or reproduced in any manner which contain or are otherwise based upon any of the above material. Any such existing material must be taken down or discarded, and no future material may be made. Do this, and they will no longer be impostors, but merely a totally separate organization in another area of the world that by coincidence has the same name.
__________________
SAE, Master Mason & Past Master, Sciot, 32° Scottish Rite Mason, RAM/SEM/KT York Rite Mason, Shriner, SK (Amaranth)

Last edited by SAEalumnus; 02-13-2008 at 07:22 PM. Reason: apparently this needs to be spelled out