By Brian Bowling

Published: Thursday, February 7, 2013, 4:54 p.m.
Updated: Monday, February 11, 2013

A local health advocacy group has agreed to remove the word “lungs” from its name to end a trademark dispute with the American Lung Association, a lawyer for Cranberry-based Healthy Lungs Pennsylvania said on Thursday.

“They are going to develop a new name and the branding associated with that,” said attorney Gary Hunt, of Downtown.

Attorneys for each side filed a joint motion in U.S. District Court on Thursday to dismiss the lawsuit.

Michael Dever, the national group's lawyer, declined to comment.

Hunt said the local group agrees not to use “lung” or “lungs” in its new name except for the Internet site, www.healthylungs.org.

The Cranberry group parted ways with the American Lung Association in 1998. In 2011, the local organization changed its name from the American Respiratory Alliance of Western Pennsylvania to Healthy Lungs Pennsylvania.

The American Lung Association claimed in the lawsuit that the local group violated its trademark and a 1998 settlement that spelled out terms separating the two organizations.

The local group claimed in court documents that the Healthy Lungs name did not violate the trademark or the 1998 settlement because it uses the plural “lungs” instead of the singular “lung.”

Brian Bowling is a staff writerfor Trib Total Media. He canbe reached at 412-325-4301or bbowling@tribweb.com.

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