Susan G. Komen Foundation Elbows Out Charities Over Use Of The Word 'Cure'

[The Straight Story]

Susan G. Komen Foundation Elbows Out Charities Over Use Of The Word 'Cure'

In addition to raising millions of dollars a year for breast cancer research, fundraising giant Susan G. Komen for the Cure has a lesser-known mission that eats up donor funds: patrolling the waters for other charities and events around the country that use any variation of "for the cure" in their names.

So far, Komen has identified and filed legal trademark oppositions against more than a hundred of these Mom and Pop charities, including Kites for a Cure, Par for The Cure, Surfing for a Cure and Cupcakes for a Cure--and many of the organizations are too small and underfunded to hold their ground.

"It happened to my family," said Roxanne Donovan, whose sister runs Kites for a Cure, a family kite-flying event that raises money for lung cancer research. "They came after us ferociously with a big law firm. They said they own 'cure' in a name and we had to stop using it, even though we were raising money for an entirely different cause."

Donovan's sister, Mary Ann Tighe, said the Komen foundation sent her a letter asking her to stop using the phrase "for a cure" in their title and to never use the color pink in conjunction with their fundraising. What bothered her most about the whole ordeal, she said, was that Komen forced her to spend money and time on legal fees and proceedings instead of raising funds for cancer.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/07/komen-foundation-charities-cure_n_793176.html?ref=fb&src=sp

[RockaFowler]

1. Not a fan of this group

Nancy Brinker is not interested in a cure for Cancer. It's too big of a business for her now.

[tammywammy]

2. Exactly.

And I get damn tired of all the pink shit every October.

[dflprincess]

11. A couple years ago I made the mistake of scheduling the annual mammogram the first week of October

(didn't even think of "awareness month"). As luck would have it, it came back with an odd spot on it & wound up having both needle & surgical biopsies. Everything turned out to be fine, but until the last test came back there was no escaping reminders of breast cancer. Even in the bakery with the damn pink icing on everything.

I have pushed the exam back to the first part of September now.

[tammywammy]

13. Oh, they even have stuff going on here at work too

Last year it was a bake sale to "raise awareness." Raise awareness? Seriously? How many people work here have never heard of breast cancer? I just rolled my eyes.

Plus I'm a natural redhead, I never wear pink, it clashes.

[blondeatlast]

8. She reminds me of Ingrid Newkirk in way too many ways. I don't hate PETA, but

I do hate Newkirk.

[msanthrope]

3. Twisty Faster had Komen's number years ago..they are a business, nothing else. n/t

[RockaFowler]

5. Bingo!!

Just what I said. Nancy Brinker loves being in the spotlight. And if there was an actual cure with all of the money they raised, she would be out of a job and out of the spotlight. Oh yeah and back to flipping burgers at Chili's

[blondeatlast]

12. Nicely done--Komen is a worthy target on so many levels.

I've read about three blogs tthere related to Komen--TF expresses my feelings about Komen much better than I could.

[msanthrope]

14. I miss Twisty. She was so right more times than I can count. n/t

[blondeatlast]

15. I'm going to keep up with this one--I love the angry humor.

Thanks for the link; it's a keeper.

[ceile]

4. Unbelievable!

Hope this comes back to bite them in the ass.
:mad:

[Gormy Cuss]

6. Komen spends about 1 million annually defending its trademarks.

That alone would keep me from donating to them, but the fact that they've trademarked the phrase "for the cure" and they go after other charities? Ridiculous.

[KT2000]

7. "For the cure"

Maybe Komen should have to prove how much they dedicate to finding a cure before they own the phrase.
These people make me sick - they have control of the money for breast cancer but I do not see much research on environmental triggers for breast cancer. I see a huge marketing campaign to capture breast cancer funds, I see horrible "runs" that stress women for no good reason, I do not see them funding mammograms for women who cannot afford it, or treatment for women with breast cancer.

[Lucian]

9. They're going after charities that want the same thing...

a cure for cancer. This makes no sense at all, unless, of course, Susan G. Komen for the Cure doesn't really want to cure cancer and pocket the millions they're getting and/or keep the spotlight on them, and them alone...

[FLAprogressive]

10. Breast cancer "pinkwashing" has become big business

[AngryAmish]

16. They are a really scummy organization

I think their commercials are manipulative bullshit.

[pecwae]

17. I've never supported Komen,

have even less respect since Brinker took the reins and I'm a two time BC survivor. It's big business, as usual, taking advantage of the hearts and pockets of the masses.

[shireen]

18. next, American Cancer Society will be after "birthday"

Their tv ads tout them as the "official sponsors of birthdays."
That pisses me off no end, and I've even written to them about it.

Cancer is a horrible horrible disease, i watched a friend die from lung cancer. Heartbreaking. I want to see a cure.

But dammit! Cancer isn't the only disease killing off people. I have Lupus and two other auto-immune diseases. There is no cure for Lupus. The odds are that i won't live a normal lifespan, and will eventually die from it. Until then, I have to take medication for pain, to prevent blood clots, and deal with extreme fatigue.

When those ads appear on tv, it really makes me mad. Right now, they're not my f'ing sponsor of birthdays. :mad:

And until there's a cure for cancer for everyone who gets it, they have no right to even claim to be the "official sponsor of birthdays"

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[friendly_iconoclast]

19. You all have got to read Barbara Ehrenreich's "Bright-Sided"

She tears the breast cancer industry a new one in it. Discussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6879754#6883426