Letter from Urantia Foundation to Editor of "Planetary Prints"
outlining trademark policies related to readership publications
August 14, 1986
[On Urantia FOUNDATION Letterhead]
Via Certified Mail –
Return receipt requested
August 14, 1986Mr. Don Guimond
Editor, Planetary Prints
C/o The Boulder School
1622 – 18th Street
Boulder, Colorado 80302
Dear Don:
There are various problems concerning the display and the use of the registered marks of Urantia Foundation, the word Urantia and the Concentric-Circles Symbol in the spring, 1986 issue of Planetary Prints, and the newsletter of Rocky Mountain Urantia Society of Denver. It is our responsibility, as the holder of the marks, to bring these problems to your attention in your capacity as editor of the newsletter.
Before proceeding to the specific matters of concern, we note that the use of the registered marks on Planetary Prints is not among the uses specifically authorized in paragraph number one on page two of the Licensing Agreement entered into between Urantia Foundation and Rocky Mountain Urantia Society of Denver. The Trustees of Urantia Foundation are willing to grant permission to Rocky Mountain Urantia Society of Denver to use the registered marks on Planetary Prints (and to acknowledge past use), but they would like your assurances that you will act in the spirit and letter of their wishes before granting that permission. Even if you agree to these conditions and permission is granted, the Trustees reserve the right to revoke the grant of permission at any time if in their discretion such use is no longer beneficial to the aim, purposes, and goals as determined from time to time of, by and for Urantia Foundation.
First, we ask that all future issues of Planetary Prints on which the marks are displayed and used include the following wording at the bottom of both the front and back covers of the publication:
“R: Registered Mark of Urantia Foundation. Used pursuant to license.”
Another problem concerns the color of the Concentric-Circles Symbol displayed on the lower center portion of unnumbered page 1 of Planetary Prints. The concentric circles of the Symbol are displayed in black rather than the appropriate shade of the color blue. In order to insure consistency in the manner of display of the Symbol, Urantia Foundation requires its licensees to display the concentric circles of the Symbol in a blue color, the proper shade of which is designated Panatone 299 by printers. All future issues of Planetary Prints, on which the Symbol is used, must be displayed in the appropriate shade of blue as indicated above.
Yet another problem concerns the depiction of the Symbol as the face of a clock, which is affixed to a representation of the Christian symbol of the cross in the drawing, which appears in the middle of page 21 of Planetary Prints. Provision 2 (d) of the Licensing Agreement reads in part as follows:
“It [the Society] shall not use the word Urantia or the Symbol…in connection with any other…word, symbol, letter, or design…”
In future issues of Planetary Prints, the symbol must not be used as a design or in association with the symbols of other movements or groups.
A further problem we wish to bring to your attention concerns the fact that advertisements for two publications (i.e., reaching High: the Psychology of Spiritual Living and Concordex of the Urantia Book) were neither enclosed with or appeared in Planetary Prints, The Licensing Agreement states in paragraph number one on page 2 of the document that:
“The Foundation hereby grants to the Society the nonexclusive and non-transferable license and permission to use the word Urantia as the distinguishing part of the name of the Society, and to use and display the word Urantia and the concentric-circles symbol as service marks and collective membership marks (but not as trademarks) in connection with official Society activities…”
The meaning of this portion of the Licensing Agreement is that while the Society may use its name and the registered marks in association with certain services (as either specifically granted in the Agreement or by the Trustees) rendered by the Society (such as the publication of a newsletter), the Society may not use its names or the marks in connection with the sale of goods. (Incidentally, given that the purpose of the Society is to encourage the study and dissemination of the teachings of The Urantia Book, thee distribution of the Book by the Society falls within the area of rendering a service rather than the sale of goods). Given that Rocky Mountain Urantia Society of Denver was only given a license to use its name and the registered marks in connection with the rendering of services, we must ask that al future issues of Planetary Prints on which the marks are used not display advertising for the sale of good of any type.
In addition to the problems presented above, we wish to share our concern about the depiction of the Word and the Symbol as a shoulder patch design on one of the figures n the drawing on the cover of planetary prints. These two photographs appear respectively in the upper right hand corner of pages 11 and 12 or the newsletters. In the photograph on page 11 a banner appears which displays the Symbol, while I the photograph on page 12 there are pictured two posters on which appear the Symbol. The use of the Concentric-Circles Symbol on the banner and the two posters are clear examples of unauthorized displays of our registered mark in which the impression could be given that Urantia Foundation or one of its licensees was sponsoring the activity associated with the display of the banner and the posters. The publication of the two photographs in Planetary Prints could well lead readers of the newsletter to believe that such use of the Concentric-Circles Symbol registered mark is appropriate, which is clearly not the case. Therefore, it is strongly urged that, in the future, careful thought be given to the content of photographs published in Planetary Prints so that this type of problem is avoided.
In using the registered marks in conjunction wit licensed activities such as the publication of a newsletter by a Urantia Society, we ask that only the highest standard in deciding upon how to proceed be used. As a licensee, whatever good will Rocky Mountain Urantia Society of Denver captures in its delivery of services rebounds to the broad spread of all of the activities of Urantia organizations – and our large family of devoted readers, and visa versa.
By encouraging the best in our official family, we can al do a great deal to help one another and thus enhance the ultimate success of The Urantia Book.
Please understand that Urantia Foundation has no intention of directing the editorial policy of Planetary Prints. However, as the holder of the registered marks, Urantia Foundation has the right to direct the manner of the use and display of the marks.
We, of course, will be most happy to respond to any questions you may have with regard to the content of this letter. However, it must be appreciated that we anticipate that the problems raised in this letter will be dealt with as we have requested. Therefore, we ask that you acknowledge receipt of this letter and indicate that there will be compliance with the points we have addressed.
If you want to continue using the marks of Urantia Foundation, the choice is yours; but we must have your written acknowledgement of the terms and conditions of the license as set forth I this letter before permission is granted. Thus, if you desire to use the marks in connection with the newsletter, please acknowledge your acceptance of these terms by signing, on behalf of Rocky Mountain Urantia Society of Denver, its acceptance of the terms and conditions of use. If these terms and conditions are unacceptable, we are confident your high standards of ethical conduct will dictate that you do not use our marks at all on the newsletter.
For your reference, please find enclosed a photocopy of the Licensing Agreement.
Please accept our warm regards and best wishes.
In Fellowship
Scott M. Forsythe
Administrative Assistant
SMF: kfm
Encl.
Cc: Mo Siegel,
President
RMUSD
Urantia Brotherhood
Presidents of all Urantia Societies