{"id":39072,"date":"2020-09-16T17:10:42","date_gmt":"2020-09-16T17:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/09\/16\/281-companies-are-being-sued-for-using-the-term-morale-patch\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:27:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:27:43","slug":"281-companies-are-being-sued-for-using-the-term-morale-patch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2020\/09\/16\/281-companies-are-being-sued-for-using-the-term-morale-patch\/","title":{"rendered":"281 companies are being sued for using the term \u2018morale patch\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Retailers of \u201cmorale patches\u201d have come under fire from a recent lawsuit alleging that use of the term is a trademark infringement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve probably seen them around: creatively designed patches with slogans and images ranging from funny to downright offensive. Available for purchase on dozens of different websites, customers can find everything from Tiger King\u2019s Joe Exotic to tactical White Claws displayed on small, Velcro-backed cutouts of rubber and cloth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These humorous, tactical decorations are believed to have originated before World War I in the British Army, according to the San Francisco Chronicle<\/a>. And for many units from Vietnam to Iraq, the patches were adequately named.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much akin to airplane nose art in the distinction and prestige they provided service members, many morale patches were the forerunners of unit patches approved for wear today. The 1st Infantry Division\u2019s \u201cBig Red 1\u201d and 101st Airborne\u2019s \u201cScreaming Eagle\u201d both originated as informal morale patches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Though not approved for uniformed wear, morale patches still provide service members with a source of distinction and laughs. (Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Velcro enabled designs to become increasingly humorous and offensive in recent history, with soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines simply able to remove the patches from their uniforms when necessary. Numerous websites caught on to the trend and continue to offer custom-designed morale patches to troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patch retailer Morale Patch Armory trademarked the widely used \u201cmorale patch\u201d term in 2017 in a move that garnered backlash from consumers and retailers alike. The Iowa-based company even reported receiving death threats when Facebook removed a group with \u201cmorale patch\u201d in its name for trademark infringement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have not and as of right now have no intention of using litigation against anyone or any entity who sells or designs morale patches,\u201d the company said in a 2017 Facebook article responding to the backlash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Somewhere along the way, their intentions changed. Morale Patch Armory filed a lawsuit on Aug. 14 alleging that 281 unnamed companies were conducting \u201cillegal operations\u201d by using the trademarked term to sell similar goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDefendants are directly and personally contributing to, inducing and engaging in the sale of Infringing Products,\u201d the complaint filed in the Northern District of Illinois stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those targeted by the lawsuit disagree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMorale Patch Armory has no trademark rights to assert. Its claimed trademark is generic \u2014 it stands for the thing being sold, rather than a particular seller, which is what a trademark does,\u201d defense attorney Mike Atkins, who represents retailer Empire Tactical in the suit, told Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The complaint filed by Morale Patch Armory asks that all defendants be restrained from future use of the term \u201cmorale patch\u201d and pay $100,000 in damages for each and every use of the term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMorale Patch Armory doesn\u2019t own the words \u2018morale patch.\u2019 Those words have been used for more than 50 years before Morale Patch Armory came onto the scene,\u201d said Atkins. \u201cIt\u2019s offensive for them to claim those words as their own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morale Patch Armory was not immediately available to comment on why they chose to pursue a lawsuit at this time or why they believe the term to be exclusively their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Defendants in the suit are actively petitioning for Morale Patch Armory’s trademark to be cancelled. (Photo courtesy Empire Tactical)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Prometheus Design Werx, another retailer listed in the suit, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the cancellation of Morale Patch Armory\u2019s trademark on Sept. 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe internet is replete with sources, including eBay and Amazon, selling patches and calling these patches \u2018morale patches,\u2019\u201d the request for cancellation, which also believes the term to be generic, stated. \u201cMany of these sources have been selling such patches for decades and consumers are collectors of these items.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam Pfeifle, owner of Empire Tactical and an Iraq veteran, has been using the term \u201cmorale patch\u201d since 2013 \u2014 three years before Morale Patch Armory claimed first use of their trademark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pfeifle told Military Times that he hopes service members will rally behind the defendants’ cause. Those who wish to assist, he said, can donate to his company\u2019s GoFundMe<\/a>, where proceeds left over after paying for legal funds will be donated to the VFW.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Morale Patch Armory is suing retailers for trademark infringement. 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