A U.S., Massachusetts-based, nonprofit organization, previously called Children Without Borders, recently changed its name to the Children’s Well-Being Foundation following a trademark dispute with the international organization Doctors Without Borders.
Doctors Without Borders, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, sent a cease and desist letter to Children Without Borders back in 2010. Children Without Borders then filed a federal lawsuit against Doctors Without Borders, which was later settled out of court. Boston.com reported that Doctors Without Borders officials said they had acted to protect their doctors who often work in dangerous parts of the world and they wanted to avoid any likelihood of confusion about their organization’s “working principles.” The Massachusetts organization also has a medical mission — it sets up medical clinics in Costa Rica for families in need.
Have you noticed other organizations that use the phrase “without borders” in their names? We have. In fact, we found a (seemingly partial) list on Wikipedia.org, and an Internet search led us to even more organizations with names like MBAs Without Borders, Pirates Without Borders, Elephants Without Borders, and even Clowns Without Borders. Their missions don’t appear to be related to medicine.
What’s your favorite name of a nonprofit organization?
