D.C. 'Monument' lobby shops reach deal to drop trademark lawsuit

(Reuters) - Two Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firms that use the word "Monument" in their monikers have agreed to resolve their trademark tiff in federal court over naming rights.

Monument Advocacy sued its older rival Monument Strategies in Washington, D.C., federal court in April, seeking to stake a claim to its name. Monument Strategies on Wednesday announced the resolution, which Monument Advocacy told the court about in a July 1 filing.

Neither side would describe the terms of the settlement. But Monument Advocacy, whose clients include Netflix Inc and Starbucks Corp, and Monument Strategies, an advocate for The National ATM Council Inc and leaf tobacco merchant Alliance One International LLC, will keep their respective names.

"Monument Strategies recognizes that there likely is to be continued confusion between the names of the firms — and the firm is disappointed in [Monument Advocacy's] lack of creativity in choosing a name — but Monument Strategies will move forward in a positive manner," its founder Jonathan Alexander said in a statement.

Michael Steger, a lawyer for Monument Advocacy, said on Wednesday in an email: "My client will be using its Monument Advocacy name going forward and is glad that the parties were able to resolve this dispute."

Monument Advocacy had said in its lawsuit that the firm holds trademarks for "Monument Advocacy" and "Monument Policy Group." The firm has used Monument Advocacy since 2019 and Monument Policy Group since 2006.

Monument Strategies was founded in 2005. Alexander said in a letter in March to his firm's rival that it should "promptly cease the use of Monument Advocacy" in D.C. and elsewhere.

He argued that Monument Strategies "has acquired and developed valuable rights in its name that repeatedly have been, and continue to be, infringed by your use of the name Monument Advocacy."

The case is Monument Policy Group LLC v. Monument Strategies LLC, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 1:22-cv-00976.

For plaintiff: Michael Steger of Law Offices of Michael D. Steger

For defendant: Lloyd Liu of Bennett LoCicero & Liu

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