Grange Won't Sue Grange Over Casino Name

WWeek:

<img src="http://www.wweek.com/portland/imgs/media.images/9914/grange.t2.jpg"/>

 The Grange can keep calling itself the Grange, at least until November.

Wood Village casino backers caught a break today: The leaders of a national rural advocacy group have decided not to sue over the use of the name "the Grange" for the proposed project at the old Multnomah Kennel Club greyhound track.

In return, the developers will acknowledge in their casino ballot-measure campaign that the Grange is not affiliated with the National Grange. 

Perhaps most embarrassingly, the fall ballot measure that would legalize a casino off tribal lands will now include a disclaimer that reads as follows:

Grange is a registered trademark owned by the National Grange. Past use of the term "The Grange" was undertaken without the authorization or endorsement by or affiliation with The National Grange. The current use does not imply endorsement of Measures 82 and 83 by the National Grange.  

Along with that concession, the casino campaign had to grovel a bit.

"We recognize that in naming our destination that we should have consulted in advance with National Grange representatives, requesting permission to use the name—we did not," Jeff Parr of PDX Entertainment said today in a statement. "For this, we apologize to Grange members in Oregon and across America."

The National Grange says it will address a naming lease again in November if the casino measure passes.

As WW has previously noted, it has leased those rights to many, many places.

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