<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
        {font-family:Sylfaen;
        panose-1:1 10 5 2 5 3 6 3 3 3;}
@font-face
        {font-family:"Cambria Math";
        panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
        {font-family:Calibri;
        panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
        {font-family:Verdana;
        panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
        {font-family:Garamond;
        panose-1:2 2 4 4 3 3 1 1 8 3;}
@font-face
        {font-family:Tahoma;
        panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
        {margin:0in;
        font-size:11.0pt;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle36
        {mso-style-type:personal-reply;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
        {mso-style-type:export-only;
        font-size:10.0pt;
        mso-ligatures:none;}
@page WordSection1
        {size:8.5in 11.0in;
        margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
        {page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal">All\u2014<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I was recently presented with an interesting hypothetical situation:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let\u2019s party A\u2019s trademark is XYZ GROUP (i.e., a trademark particularly associated with a particular group/organization/institution--&nbsp; and the mark is registered th), a splinter group forms and claims that they are the \u201creal\u201d XYZ GROUP and
 starts using XYZ GROUP in various ways.&nbsp; (Yes\u2014party A is addressing these infringements.)&nbsp; In the meantime,&nbsp; attorneys representing the splinter group sends correspondence to third parties identifying themselves as \u201cAttorneys for XYZ GROUP.\u201d<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Are the splinter group\u2019s attorneys potentially liable for trademark infringement as well?&nbsp; Anyone aware of any case law on this issue?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><i><span lang="DE" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:&quot;Garamond&quot;,serif;color:#B02525;background:white;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Janice Housey</span></i></b><span lang="DE" style="color:#B02525;background:white;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">&nbsp;</span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span lang="DE" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Sylfaen&quot;,serif;color:#B02525;background:white;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Litmus Law PLLC<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span lang="DE" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Sylfaen&quot;,serif;color:#B02525;background:white;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><u><span lang="DE" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Sylfaen&quot;,serif;color:#B02525;background:white;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">NEW MAILING ADDRESS!</span></u></b><span lang="DE" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Sylfaen&quot;,serif;color:#B02525;background:white;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><br>
4 Weems Lane #240<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span lang="DE" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Sylfaen&quot;,serif;color:#B02525;background:white;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Winchester, Virginia 22601</span><span lang="DE" style="color:#B02525;background:white;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">&nbsp;</span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span lang="DE" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Sylfaen&quot;,serif;color:#B02525;background:white;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">703.957.5274 office<br>
703.851.6737 cell</span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="color:black;background:white;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">&nbsp;</span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Tahoma&quot;,sans-serif;color:#B02525;background:white;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><br>
ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION<br>
This communication is subject to the attorney-client privilege of confidentiality, and is intended only for the identified recipient.&nbsp; If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender and destroy all copies, hard and electronic, in your
 possession.&nbsp; Thank you.</span><span lang="DE" style="color:#B02525;background:white;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">&nbsp;</span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>