Patriot Guard Riders

Last updated

Patriot Guard Riders
AbbreviationPGR
Founded2005
Founded at Mulvane, Kansas
Type501(c)(3) registered
Region
United States of America
Membership
329,696 (2011) [1]
Websitewww.patriotguard.org

The Patriot Guard Riders (PGR) is an organization based in the United States whose members attend the funerals of members of the U.S. military and first responders at the invitation of a decedent's family. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

The group forms a voluntary honor guard at military burials, helps protect mourners from harassment and fills out the ranks at burials of indigent and homeless veterans. In addition to attending funerals, the group also greets troops returning from overseas at homecoming celebrations and performs volunteer work for veteran's organizations such as Veterans Homes.

The organization is open to any persons, regardless of political affiliation, veteran status, or whether or not they ride motorcycles, as long as they have "a deep respect for those who serve our country".

Some media reports have referred to the PGR as a motorcycle club. [6] [7] [8] Patriot Guard Riders' representatives state that they are "not a motorcycle club", but an "Internet-based organization" and "communication system" by which members are informed of funeral events. [9] [10] [11] [12]

History

The group was formed in 2005 [13] to shelter and protect the deceased's family against protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church, who claim that the deaths of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are divine retribution for American tolerance of homosexuality. PGR members position themselves to physically shield the mourners from the presence of the Westboro protesters by blocking the protesters from view with their motorcade, or by having members hold American flags. The group also drowns out the protesters' chants by singing patriotic songs or by revving motorcycle engines. [14] [15] [16] [17]

Patriot Guard Riders Patriotguard.JPG
Patriot Guard Riders

Although initially founded by motorcyclists, the organization is open to anyone, regardless of political affiliation, veteran status, or whether they ride or not. The only prerequisite is "a deep respect for those who serve our country; military and first responders. The Patriot Guard was established in Mulvane, Kansas, at American Legion Post 136 in 2005. [18] The founder members incorporated the organization as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in the State of Oklahoma on February 21, 2006. [13]

The group's mission quickly expanded to include the funerals of law enforcement officers, fire department personnel, all first responders, and any active duty member or veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces from all previous wars and conflicts and is now largely focused on recognizing and honoring the sacrifices of dead service members as well as their families and loved ones. As of March 2011, PGR reported over 220,000 members. In addition to their attendance at funerals, the group also greets troops returning from overseas at welcome home celebrations, deployment ceremonies, and performs volunteer work for veteran's organizations such as Veterans Homes. The group also assists families in financial difficulties with travel and housing arrangements, and visits military hospitals to encourage and honor wounded service members of the United States Armed Forces.

Trademark lawsuit

In 2007, the Patriot Guard Riders attempted to register the name with United States Patent and Trademark Office. One of the organization's founding members and first President, Jeff Brown, who previously operated the PGR merchandise store, filed an objection. PGR rebuked this, stating in papers filed with the Patent and Trademark Office that Brown had been ejected as a director of PGR in November 2006, and had therefore relinquished all rights to the store and the organization's name. [13] After resigning, Brown filed a trademark request, but this was rejected since the PGR had submitted its own request. [19] PGR contacted all its members asking for donations to establish a defense fund for the lawsuit.

As of 16 July 2012 the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) rendered its decision to Brown's opposition of the PGR, Inc's registration. They stated: "The record further reflects that during Brown's tenure as Executive Director, despite his use of personal funds, he was acting in his official capacity when ordering the collateral merchandise to sell on the online store. Consumers who bought the goods prior to Brown's departure and the subsequent creation of "Twister's Store" were led to believe the goods originated from the PGR. Hence, Brown cannot prevail on his claim of priority since he cannot show by a preponderance of the evidence a prior proprietary interest in the word mark PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS for collateral merchandise. Decision: The opposition is dismissed." [20]

Defending their trademark

After successfully registering multiple trademarks, [21] [22] [23] the Patriot Guard Riders (PGR), Inc., began taking steps to enforce and defend its marks from unauthorized use.

A group in Michigan split from the PGR but continued to use multiple marks while conducting fundraising activities, most notably adopting the name "Michigan Patriot Guard" (MPG). The PGR made multiple requests of the MPG to cease and desist utilizing the name and trademarks. When the MPG failed to comply, the PGR filed a lawsuit in US District Court of Flint, Michigan. [24] [25] [26]

Before the lawsuit went to trial, the PGR and MPG reached a settlement. As part of the agreement, the MPG will change its name. [27] The organization's new name is Michigan Bikers Helping Veterans. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Phelps</span> American pastor and activist (1929–2014)

Fred Waldron Phelps Sr. was an American minister who served as the pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church, worked as a civil rights attorney, and ran for statewide election in Kansas. He gained national attention for his homophobic views and protests near the funerals of gay people, military veterans, and disaster victims who he believed were killed as a result of God punishing the U.S. for having "bankrupt values" and tolerating homosexuality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Patent and Trademark Office</span> Agency in the United States Department of Commerce

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexandria, Virginia, after a 2005 move from the Crystal City area of neighboring Arlington, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westboro Baptist Church</span> American hate group

The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is a small American, unaffiliated Primitive Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, founded in 1955 by pastor Fred Phelps. Labeled a hate group, WBC is known for engaging in homophobic and anti-American pickets, as well as hate speech against atheists, Jews, Muslims, transgender people, and numerous Christian denominations. Their theology and practices have been widely condemned by Christian churches, including the Baptist World Alliance and the Southern Baptist Convention.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is an American trade association for those who work in the real estate industry. It has over 1.4 million members, making it one of the biggest trade associations in the USA including NAR's institutes, societies, and councils, involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. The organization holds a U.S. trademark over the term "realtor", limiting the use of the term to its members. NAR also functions as a self-regulatory organization for real estate brokerage. The organization is headquartered in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorcycle club</span> Group of individuals whose primary interest and activities involve motorcycles

A motorcycle club is a group of individuals whose primary interest and activities involve motorcycles. A motorcycle group can range as clubbed groups of different bikes or bikers who own same model of vehicle like the Harley Owners Group.

Mace is the brand name of an early type of aerosol self-defense spray invented by Alan Lee Litman in the 1960s. The first commercial product of its type, Litman's design packaged phenacyl chloride (CN) tear gas dissolved in hydrocarbon solvents into a small aerosol spray can, usable in many environments and strong enough to act as a deterrent and incapacitant when sprayed in the face.

PGR may stand for:

Xcitium, formerly known as Comodo Security Solutions, Inc., is a cybersecurity company headquartered in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1-Click</span>

1-Click, also called one-click or one-click buying, is the technique of allowing customers to make purchases with the payment information needed to complete the purchase having been entered by the user previously. More particularly, it allows an online shopper using an Internet marketplace to purchase an item without having to use shopping cart software. Instead of manually inputting billing and shipping information for a purchase, a user can use one-click buying to use a predefined address and credit card number to purchase one or more items. Since the expiration of Amazon's patent, there has been an advent of checkout experience platforms, such as ShopPay, Simpler, PeachPay, Zplit, and Bolt which offer similar one-click checkout flows.

Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc. is a nationwide American company, with headquarters in Encino, California, which provides services that help elderly contact emergency services. The company was founded in 1987. The company's system consists of a main unit and a small wireless help button that is worn by the user at all times. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop appeared in commercials for Life Alert starting in 1992, stating that he used one. He remained a spokesman for the company until his death in 2013.

<i>The Most Hated Family in America</i> 2007 BBC documentary film

The Most Hated Family in America is a 2007 BBC documentary film written and presented by Louis Theroux about the family at the core of the Westboro Baptist Church. The organization was led by Fred Phelps and located in Topeka, Kansas. Westboro Baptist Church members believe that the United States government is immoral due to its tolerance of homosexuality; in addition, they protest at funerals of U.S. military killed in action with signs that display text such as "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers". With a BBC film crew, Theroux travelled to Kansas to spend time with members of the church and interview its leadership. Theroux interviews church leadership including Fred Phelps and Shirley Phelps-Roper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirley Phelps-Roper</span> American lawyer and political activist

Shirley Lynn Phelps-Roper is an American lawyer and political activist. She was the lead spokesperson of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, an organization that protests against homosexuality conducted under the slogan "God Hates Fags" until a power struggle within the organization reduced her status as a spokesperson.

<i>Wrenn v. Boy Scouts of America</i>

Wrenn v. Boy Scouts of America, No. 3:03-cv-04057, was a case before the United States District Court for the Northern District of California; Wrenn asked for the cancellation of federal trademark registrations of the Boy Scouts of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hells Angels</span> International outlaw motorcycle club

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is a worldwide outlaw motorcycle club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Common nicknames for the club are the "H.A.", "Red & White", "HAMC", and "81". With a membership between 3,000 and 3,600 and 467 chapters in 59 countries, the HAMC is one of the largest and most famous motorcycle clubs in the world.

Glider, also known as WoWGlider or MMOGlider, was a bot created by MDY Industries, which interoperated with World of Warcraft. Glider automated and simplified actions by the user through the use of scripting to perform repetitive tasks while the user was away from the computer. This allowed the user to acquire in-game currency and level-ups of the character without being present to perform the required actions. As of 2008, it had sold approximately 100,000 copies. Glider was ultimately discontinued after a lawsuit was filed against MDY Industries by Blizzard Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toiletry bag</span> Portable container that holds hygiene and toiletry supplies

A toiletry bag is a portable container—usually a pouch with a drawstring or zippered closure—that holds body hygiene and toiletry supplies such as toothbrush and toothpaste, dental floss, cotton swabs, deodorant, nail clippers, tweezers, soap, shaving supplies, hairbrush, contact lenses and feminine products. Toiletry bags are most often used for traveling and in living circumstances where permanent shelves and cupboards are unavailable for use.

Snyder v. Phelps, 562 U.S. 443 (2011), was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in which the Court held that speech made in a public place on a matter of public concern cannot be the basis of liability for a tort of emotional distress, even if the speech is viewed as offensive or outrageous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professional Picture Framers Association</span>

The Professional Picture Framers Association / PPFA is an international trade organization serving the art and framing community worldwide since 1971. Members include independent frame shop owners and staff, distributors and manufacturers of picture frame mouldings, supplies and equipment, art galleries, artists, and other businesses in the custom picture framing industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protests by Westboro Baptist Church</span>

Westboro Baptist Church carries out daily picketing in Topeka, Kansas and travels nationally to picket the funerals of gay victims of murder or gay-bashing, as well as those of people who have died from complications related to AIDS. It also pickets other events related or peripherally related to homosexuality. It is the protesting of military funerals that led to the organization receiving much attention for its small size. Protests done by Westboro Baptist Church are characterized by defacement of the American flag, hate speech said by members to onlookers, and members holding signs with predominantly homophobic and anti-American statements.

References

  1. ↑ As of April 23, 2011 Patriot Guard Riders, Membership: Overall (user accounts registered at web site), archived from the original on September 28, 2011
  2. ↑ Patriot Guard honors fallen soldiers at funerals. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. By Erin Gibson Allen. 1-3-2008.
  3. ↑ Guard' pays respects, shields spectators at funeral. By BRET LIEBENDORFER. 9-23-2009. Archived April 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Westboro Baptist fuels free speech debate. By Byron Wilkes. 9-23-2009. Archived September 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Murret, Patricia (February 16, 2007). "Gay Haters Protest at Funeral of Female Marine Killed in Iraq". Capital News Service. Archived from the original on February 20, 2007.
  6. ↑ "NBC 4 to Present Coverage of Veterans Day Parade, 11/11 2010/11/10". WNBC . Retrieved January 5, 2011. hundreds of Veteran motorcyclists including the Rolling Thunder, Nam Knights, Patriot Guard and Legion Riders Motor Cycle clubs.
  7. ↑ "Deadline for Honor Flight Birmingham approaching fast for vets". al.com . December 28, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2011. The Patriot Guard Riders -- a motorcycle club that often attends military funerals
  8. ↑ "Trip to Arlington National Cemetery special for Bern Twp. couple". Reading Eagle . Archived from the original on September 23, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2011. the Patriot Guard Riders motorcycle club
  9. ↑ Wright, Kimberly. "Ride of respect: Patriot Guard Riders comfort the living, honor the dead". Maxwell Air Force Base. Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2011. "Mr. Reynolds emphasized that the organization is not a motorcycle club."
  10. ↑ Sullivan, Julie (December 5, 2009). "Patriot Guard Riders make sure those who serve are honored in life -- and death". The Oregonian . Retrieved January 4, 2011. ""We're not a motorcycle club," Loun said. "We're an Internet-based organization that comes together when it's needed. After that, we all go back to our own lives."
  11. ↑ Ruggles, Rick (August 15, 2010). "Thunderous tribute". Omaha.com . Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2011. "It's not a motorcycle club but rather a communication system, Knudsen said, by which members are informed of funerals, sendoffs and other events."
  12. ↑ Spitz, Julia (March 8, 2009). "The leader of a very proud pack". The Milford Daily News . Retrieved January 4, 2011. "We're an organization, not a motorcycle club. We have no meetings. We have no dues. The only time we get together is for mission planning or missions. Almost all our communication is through the Web site or e-mail."
  13. 1 2 3 "Amended Answer submission". TTABVUE. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Inquiry System. United States Patent and Trademark Office. January 30, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  14. ↑ Nickerson, John (August 18, 2011), "Notorious church group threatens to protest SEALs funeral", Connecticut Post, retrieved August 19, 2011
  15. ↑ Neville, Anne (July 23, 2011), "Riders get to shine in film", Buffalo News, retrieved August 19, 2011
  16. ↑ Feur, Alan (May 29, 2006), "Revving Their Engines, Remembering a War's Toll", The New York Times
  17. ↑ Borger, Julian (April 18, 2006), "Anti-gay church hounds military funerals", The Guardian , retrieved August 19, 2011
  18. ↑ "www.al136.com - Paul Stewart Irwin American Legion Post 136 Homepage". Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Motion for Summary Judgment" (PDF). United States Patent and Trademark Office. January 22, 2009. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Opposition: Number: 91181448". TTABVUE. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Inquiry System. United States Patent and Trademark Office . Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  21. ↑ Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (TSDR): PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS "RIDING WITH RESPECT" http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=77040379&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch
  22. ↑ Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (TSDR): PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=4482897&caseType=US_REGISTRATION_NO&searchType=statusSearch
  23. ↑ Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (TSDR):"RIDING WITH RESPECT" http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=4528997&caseType=US_REGISTRATION_NO&searchType=statusSearch
  24. ↑ Patriot Guard Riders Claim Former Affiliate Infringes Trademarks: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-07-18/mylan-clear-channel-aereo-globus-intellectual-property
  25. ↑ Justia Dockets & Filings: Patriot Guard Riders, Inc. v. Michigan Patriot Guard, Inc. http://dockets.justia.com/docket/michigan/miedce/2:2014cv12746/293047
  26. ↑ Lawsuit Details: Patriot Guard Riders, Inc. v. Michigan Patriot Guard, Inc. "Lawsuit Summary - Patriot Guard Riders, Inc. V. Michigan Patriot Guard, Inc". Archived from the original on August 5, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  27. ↑ Michigan Patriot Guard forced to change name after federal lawsuit settlement http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2014/07/michigan_patriot_guard_forced.html
  28. ↑ "Patriot Guard of Michigan". www.michiganpatriotguard.org. Archived from the original on May 8, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.