NOVANEWS
May 18, 2016
For more than six months we have been pursuing legal measures to stop a group in the UK from using our name to promote aggression AGAINST Syria. Their “solidarity” was with armed terror groups backed by the enemies of Syria.
We are happy to report that this has been a complete success. The legal measures entailed proving that we are the originators of the name, obtaining and registering the name as a trademark, and then using it with companies like Facebook to end the misuse of the name. On April 19, 2016, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted trademark number 4,939,285 to the name. The name and trademark are owned by the Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees, a registered US nonprofit corporation authorized under US law for tax exemption under identification number 20-5516191. The Syria Solidarity Movement®️ is an alternate legal name of the Association, which uses the name and separate financial accounting for its project of the same name.
Even before we acquired the trademark, the UK group apparently realized that they faced a potential lawsuit and began changing their name. By the time the trademark was acquired, the only remaining unauthorized use was in the URL of the Facebook page. The closing of the Facebook page (reopened with the new name and a different URL) was merely the last step in that correction.
It was difficult to see our name being fraudulently used to promote illegal foreign intervention and the occupation of Syrian territory. Our commitment is to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, and we oppose all foreign military intervention, as required by the UN charter. This includes interference by the US, UK, France, Turkey and other NATO forces, as well as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel and other forces not authorized by either the United Nations or the sovereign Syrian government. We thank all who have supported our good name, as well as the rule of international law, and we invite all parties to respect their obligations under the treaties that they have signed.
