COLUMBUS, OH — With private citizens and celebrities alike suing adult video performers for supposedly “stealing” or otherwise allegedly disrespecting their names – and right wing religious groups insisting that they own the corner of the market on morality – it probably shouldn’t come as any surprise that one such group is upset that a pro-sex industry group has had the audacity to adopt a name similar to its own. The conservative Cincinnati, OH Christian group Citizens for Community Values has a successful history of promoting legislation custom designed to stick in the craw of adult businesses. Its most recent tangential success came about when the Republican-dominated legislature passed a bill that did not require the signature of Democratic governor Ted Stickland to become a law, effective September 4th, making it illegal for exotic dance club patrons to touch performers or for the entertainers to fully doff their clothing after midnight.
Now the group is up in arms against Citizens for Community Standards, a group that supports the rights of adult entertainment businesses and which the religious group accuses of having copied its name in order to baffle voters.
The CCS is comprised of club owners and supporters dedicated to overturning the impending law, which CCV worked so hard to promote. In order to accomplish this, the business friendly organization is collecting signatures in the hopes of placing the issue on the November ballot.
CCV has decided that the issue is one of intellectual property rights and has enlisted the assistance of Virginia attorney, Charles Allen. Last week Allen sent the CCS a cease and desist letter demanding that the CCV change its name, since it is being used “with the intention of creating confusion and misleading voters,” according to quotes in the Akron Beacon Journal.
CCS representative Sandy Theis insists that this isn’t necessarily so, telling the press that, “We picked the name for one reason: because it accurately reflects what we stand for,” and adding that “We believe local communities should determine what is good for them, and we define ‘community’ as a local government.”
Making the issue a bit stickier is the fact that Citizens for Community Values has had its name trademarked since the early 1990s. David Miller, vice president for the group says that it is possible it will petition a judge to issue a restraining order against the new organization.
Club owners involved with the Citizens for Community Standards insist that the new law is an unconstitutional restriction of free speech and expression. Approximately 240,000 signatures must be collected in order to bring the issue to the ballot. Miller’s group claims that the new limitations will reduce crime. In 2004, the CCV successfully took the lead in the anti gay marriage movement within Ohio.
