Open Letter to BSA in Defense of the Hacker Scouts

My letter to the Boy Scouts of America concerning it litigious actions against the Hacker Scouts - 

Re: BSA's threat to sue Hacker Scouts. 

I have two boys, ages 6 & 8, who have become interested in becoming scouts. Having been a member for a short time during the late 1980's I was on the fence due to many of the recent socio-political spats. I understand these issues' complexity and conundrum and have tried to see both sides and give you the benefit of the doubt. 

Now I read that you are going after folks who use the word scout in their organizations, such as the Hacker Scouts. I see no way in which the HS is trying to deliberately or indirectly cause confusion with the general public by using the name Scout. I find it appalling that the BSA leadership would take such action. 

Your actions remind me of the outrageous litigious actions of the then-named Monster Cable company - if you are unfamiliar with this much-despised episode in the Audio Visual world, suffice it to say that the company appeared to make a business model out of suing companies, any company, which included the name monster in it. The company claimed infringement and possible marketplace confusion from MonsterJobs.com to Monster Vintage clothes or Mini Golf. What Monster Cable seemed to really be doing is bullying these companies- mostly mom n' pop places- to pony up a fee to licence the name Monster. The actions may have earned them some revenue and 'marketplace security' but also made them an albatross for dealers and the subject of ridicule among knowledgeable consumers.

I fear this will be your result as well. 

I ask that you and your cabal of lawyers retract the threat and apologize for your bullying. Until then, I will advocate for these alternatives to BSA and against yours. 

Thank You for your consideration.