The nonprofit corporation of MA World Services exists to manage the business and financial affairs of MA on behalf of the society of the MA fellowship. (See MA’s Bylaws and other Foundation Documents available in Service Manual Ver. 8.0, Appendix I: Foundation Documents. Under the 12 Concepts for Service, MA’s Board of Trustees are “entrusted with the responsibility of making final decisions regarding general World Service business and finances.” (Concept Eight).)
Although MA groups, meetings, regions and districts (“MA entities”) are generally autonomous under the Twelve Traditions, that autonomy is limited in matters that “affect MA as a whole.” (Tradition Four). MA World Services’ failure to take the necessary steps as instructed by legal counsel to ensure it retains all legal rights to the MA name and logo could lead to MA losing the right to enforce its trademark against potentially harmful uses that might confuse or harm MA members, trivialize the MA program, or harm MA’s reputation.
Because these are issues that greatly “affect MA as a whole,” and interfere with its primary purpose of carrying the message of recovery to marijuana addicts, they are an exception to the generally broad autonomy granted by the Twelve Traditions. MA World Services is therefore acting consistently with MA’s Twelve Traditions, Twelve Concepts for Service, and other policies and procedures and foundation documents by taking the legal advice of its hired legal counsel, and entering into licensing agreements granting MA entities express permission to use the MA Trademarks in writing. (Traditions Four & Five) (Concepts for Service Eight).
However, despite its responsibility to protect the MA Trademarks on behalf of the fellowship of MA, MA World Services is mindful of MA’s “inverted pyramid” structure, the lack of any hierarchy in MA, and MA’s Twelve Traditions, including the broad grant of autonomy to MA entities. Therefore, MA World Services will freely and broadly license the use of the MA name and logo to MA entities on, or in connection with, uses that aid in carrying the message of recovery (Tradition Five) and will only deny uses that trivialize the MA program, confuse or harm MA members, harm MA’s reputation, or otherwise interfere with “carrying the message” of recovery.
Examples of the types of use of the MA Trademarks which might not be permitted would include, use of the MA name or logo on, or in connection with: (1) images or products that are very poor in quality; (2) social events that lack any recovery-based component; (3) uses that include profanity or other inappropriate messages; or (4) uses in conjunction with other trademarks or logos in a manner that may suggest endorsement or connection with an outside enterprise by MA, in violation of Tradition Six. This list is not exhaustive, and a license to use the MA name or logo in a particular way may be denied for other reasons not specified here, but MA World Services is committed to granting broad licenses to entities within our fellowship, as is consistent with the principles of the inverted pyramid and the broad principle of autonomy. Each use will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.