Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board issued a ruling yesterday that ended a six-year long trademark dispute over the name “Operation Rescue” in favor in Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue.
The decision was made “with prejudice,” which means the ruling is final.
Randall Terry sued Newman in 2007 to cancel his legally-obtained trademark after a long absence from the pro-life movement. Terry founded Operation Rescue in 1988, but stepped down from involvement in the group in the early 1990s.
“We are very thankful for this long-sought victory has finally put this trademark issue behind us. I pray all can now move forward and unite in our common goal to stop abortion,” said Newman.
Defending this trademark subjected Newman to bouts of public criticism, yet Newman never doubted that it was the right thing to do.
Today, under Newman’s leadership, Operation Rescue has transformed from a group characterized by acts of peaceful civil disobedience to a nationally-recognized organization that successfully works through the legal system to expose abortion abuses and bring abortionists to justice, while honoring the sacrifice of that early heritage.
Read the Decision