“‘Letting
Go' of the Circle and Triangle As A Legal Mark
A
triangle, enclosed within a circle, has long been recognized as one
symbol of Alcoholics Anonymous. Yet, both the triangle and the circle
are among the earliest spiritual signs known to man. To ancient
Egyptians, the triangle was a sign of creative intellect; to the
Greeks, it meant wisdom. In general, it represents an upward yearning
after higher knowledge or spiritual realm.
At
the International Convention celebrating AA.'s 20th anniversary, a
circle enclosing a triangle was accepted as the symbol of Alcoholics
Anonymous. "The circle," Bill told the A.A.s gathered in
St. Louis, "stands for the whole world of A.A., and the triangle
stands for
A.A.'s
Three Legacies of Recovery, Unity and Service. Within our wonderful
new world, we have found freedom from our fatal obsession. . . . "
The
symbol was registered as an official A.A. mark in 1955, and was
freely used by various A.A. entities, which worked very well for a
while. However, by the mid-1900s, there was a growing concern by the
members of the Fellowship on the use of the circle and triangle by
outside organizations. In keeping with A.A.'s Sixth Tradition, that
Alcoholics Anonymous “. . . ought never endorse, finance or lend
the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise . .. ",
A.A. World Services began efforts in 1986 to prevent the use of the
circle and triangle by outside entities, including novelty
manufacturers, publishers and treatment facilities. The policy was
undertaken with restraint, and only after all attempts at persuasion
and conciliation had failed were legal actions considered. In fact,
of approximately 170 unauthorized users contacted, only two suits
were filed, both of which were settled at a very early stage.
By
early 1990, some members of the Fellowship seemed to be saying two
things: "we want medallions with our circle and
triangle," while others were saying, "we don't want our
symbol aligned with non A.A. purposes." The desire of some A.A.
members for anniversary chips was addressed by the A.A. World
Services and Grapevine Boards in October 1990, when they considered
the possibility of producing medallions. The boards felt that tokens
and medallions were unrelated to our primary purpose of carrying the
A.A. message, and that the matter should be given a thorough airing
at the Conference in order to seek a group conscience from the
Fellowship. The essence of this decision was relayed to the 1991
General Service Conference in the A.A.W.S. Board's report
The
1992 General Service Conference began to confront the dilemma by
hearing presentations on why we should or should not produce
medallions, and the responsibility of A.A.W.S. to protect our
trademarks and copyrights from uses that might suggest affiliation
with outside sources. The result was a Conference Advisory Action for
the General Service Board to undertake a feasibility study on the
possible method by which sobriety chips might be made available to
the Fellowship, followed by a report to an ad hoc. committee of 1993
Conference delegates.
Following
lengthy considerations, the ad hoc committee presented their report
and recommendations to the 1993 Conference. After discussion, the
Conference approved two of five recommendations that: 1) the use of
sobriety chips/medallions is a matter of local autonomy and not one
on which the Conference should record a definite position; and 2) it
is not appropriate for A.A. World Services or the Grapevine to
produce or license the production of sobriety chips/medallions.
Among
the considerations in the ad hoc committee's report were the
implications of continuing to protect A.A.'s trademarks from use by
outside organizations through legal means. Coincidentally, the
A.A.W.S. Board had begun to consider recent developments, culminating
in recognition that the prospects of increasingly costly and lengthy
litigation, the uncertainty of success, and the diversions from AA.'s
primary purpose were too great to justify continuing the protection
effort of the circle and triangle. During the post-Conference
meeting of the General Service Board, the trustees accepted
A.A.W.S.'s recommendation to discontinue protecting the circle and
triangle symbol as one of our registered marks. By early June,
the General Service Board reached substantial unanimity in support of
A.A.W.S.'s statement that, consistent with our original purpose lo
avoid the suggestion of association or affiliation with outside goods
and services, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc. will
phase out the "official" or "legal" use of the
circle and triangle symbol. A.A.W.S. will continue to resist
unauthorized use of our other marks and any attempts to publish A.A.
literature without permission.
The
triangle within a circle will, of course, always have a special
meaning in the hearts and minds of A.A.s, in a symbolic sense, just
as do the Serenity Prayer and slogans, which have never had any
official status.”
Comment:
All for the sake of a bit of plastic! Or a few pieces of junk
jewellery How cheaply we are bought! But then “our troubles are
of our own making” aren't they!
Cheers
The
Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
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