Despite Days In Jail For Contempt, Two Men Insist On Using Church Name Found To Be A Trademark Infringement

Yesterday's Jackson, Tennessee Sun carries an interesting interview with Walter McGill and Luke Chartier, members of a small Guys, Tennessee church who have recently been released after serving 30 days and 10 days respectively in jail for civil contempt growing out of a trademark infringement case they lost to the Seventh Day Adventist Church. (See prior posting.) The contempt sanctions were approved by a federal district court in General Conference Corporation of Seventh Day Adventists v. McGill, (WD TN, April 5, 2012).  The two men insist on calling their small church "The Creation 7th Day & Adventist Church." In the published interview, they say, in part:

We were told by God to use the name “Creation 7th Day Adventist” or “Creation Seventh Day Adventist” (spelled either way). We made an effort to show good faith in compromising in our advertising. We changed to “The Creation 7th Day & Adventist Church” (for the world church) or, at Guys, “A Creation 7th Day & Adventist Church” for the single congregation. Neither the plaintiffs nor the court recognized our “good-faith compromise” to be adequate. The fact is this: We refuse to give up our “God-given name,” which is “Creation Seventh Day Adventist.” Until God tells us differently, we must adhere to his mandate.