Abstain Tim Stowell wrote: > > Please vote on Motion 00-29A as follows by sending along > your vote equivalent of yes, no, abstain. Thanks, Tim > > Motion 00-29A reads: > > Whereas, the mark "USGenWeb" has been in public use since June 1996 as > a Collective Membership mark[*] for the USGenWeb Project, a non-profit > volunteer group providing free online genealogical services, and the > derivative mark 'USGenWeb Archives' has been in public use since August > 1996 as a service mark for the USGenWeb Project's archival services, > and the derivative mark 'USGenWeb Archives Project' has been in use > since that date as a Collective Membership mark for that subset of the > Project's volunteers who manage and maintain that archival service, it > is the finding of the USGenWeb Advisory Board that the USGenWeb Project > as a group is the rightful holder of 'USGenWeb', 'USGenWeb Archives', > and all derivative marks. > > Whereas the USGenWeb Archive's Project's current Coordinator, Linda Lewis, > filed[**] with the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office (PTO) on 1 May, 2000, > an application (Serial Number 78006402) in which "Linda Lewis" is listed > as the name of the applicant, and "volunteer group" as the applicant > entity type, that application containing the declaration that "no other > person, firm, corporation or association has the right to use the mark", > such an application, if granted, could deny to the USGenWeb Project the > lawful right to use the marks by which it has identified the Project's > member web sites for over four years. > > Therefore, the USGenWeb Project Advisory Board officially requests that > Linda Lewis withdraw her application as soon as possible, and that she > furnish the Advisory Board with a bona fide copy or proof of her > withdrawal of said application. > > The Advisory Board further advises Linda Lewis that it is the Project's > intention to retain the legal right to the USGenWeb Archives mark, and > that if proof of withdrawal is not received by the Advisory Board within > ten (10) business days of the passage of this motion, the Advisory Board > will assume that withdrawal is not forthcoming and will proceed with > other measures to protect the Project's right to the mark. > > Recognizing that Linda's goal in making her application was to protect > the USGenWeb Archives mark from unauthorized use by those not representing > the USGenWeb Project, the Advisory Board assures Linda Lewis that if > her application is withdrawn, the Advisory Board will act as expeditiously > as possible to register the USGenWeb Project's legal right to the mark. > > Recognizing that the authority for determining membership in the > USGenWeb Archives Project lies with the Coordinator of the USGenWeb > Archives Project, the Advisory Board further assures Linda Lewis > that if her application is withdrawn, authority for granting or > removing authorization to use the USGenWeb Archives mark to identify > web sites as part of the USGenWeb Archives Project will be assigned by > the USGenWeb Project to Linda Lewis as long as she is a member of the > USGenWeb Project and holds the office of Coordinator of the USGenWeb > Archives Project.