A friend of mine who is an AG asked me to pass this on. I hope you are as outraged by this as we are. Vickie Elam White **************************************************** 16 April 2002 Dear Accredited Genealogist: ICAPGen is alerting you to a legal matter that is important to the protection of your AG credential. Until recently, we were unaware that the Know Your Heritage Organization, with officers Paul N. Daniels and Jeanette K. B. Daniels and faculty Roger Minert and James W. Petty, filed for the rights to the AG service mark. They filed on 1 September 2000 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. On 12 March 2002, they were granted the service mark. This action was highly unethical and illegal because the service mark has belonged to the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1964 when the Accreditation Program was implemented and the first tests were given. When the LDS Church officially transferred the Accreditation Program to the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen) on 31 August 2000, all rights to the term "accredited genealogist" were transferred to ICAPGen. The transmittal letter from the LDS Church clearly states that ICAPGen is entitled to use the AG credential. However, on 1 September 2000, the day following the transfer, KYHO filed for the service mark, a well-planned attempt to pirate the credential without any knowledge of, or approval from, officials of the LDS Church or the newly-created ICAPGen. From the moment of the announcement of the LDS Churchs plan to discontinue the Accreditation Program until the time that it was transferred to ICAPGen, the lines of ownership were clearly established from the Church to ICAPGen. The LDS Church has provided ICAPGen with all the necessary papers showing its ownership rights from 1964 until 31 August 2000 when the transfer was completed. We are taking the necessary legal action to have the ruling of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office overturned. National genealogical community leaders are being informed as to what has happened. Those with whom I have spoken are allied behind us, and we think that as more genealogists across the nation are informed, they too will join in supporting our efforts to correct this situation. The universal response is shock to think that anyone could do something so obviously illegal as to presume ownership of the AG credential after its public transfer from the LDS Church, which created and used it for nearly forty years. Please do whatever you possibly can to inform others of what has happened. ICAPGen is asking for your support as we fight to protect our precious AG credential. We will keep you informed. In the meantime, you remain Accredited Genealogists registered with ICAPGen; therefore, please stand firm. Sincerely, Carolyn J. Nell, AG, FUGA Chair, International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html