Website Name Change

Today, the administrator for the Facebook group, Refuge Recovery Group Resources was sent a C&D [Cease and Desist] from the attorney representing Noah Levine and Refuge Recovery World Services [RRWS] that read in part: 

Your use of the Refuge Recovery Group Resources page to promote RD amounts to trademark infringement in relation to the name, "Refuge Recovery." You need to do one of the following right away: (1) stop promoting RD on that page and delete any such promotions or references to RD, or (2) turn over the page to RRWS, or (3) take down the page. Otherwise we'll start the process of litigation to get an injunction and recovery attorney's fees and statutory damages and costs from you. RR the non-profit has a license until August 1 to use the RR name, but my understanding is that your page is not owned by the non-profit and will not be turned over to RRWS on Thursday like all of the official RR pages. Please correct me if I am wrong.

As that attorney is working pro bono and apparently has unlimited time and resources, which I do not, I think I have no choice but to immediately rename this informational website from Refuge Recovery Phoenix to Recovery Dharma - Phoenix Rising. Within the next week, I'll be removing any and all material trademarked to RRWS. I will also, by August 1st, be removing listings of any RRWS affiliated meeting. Those meetings will continued to be listed on the national website and, of course, IF you have their permission, you can create your own website for them. I say IF because my impression is that the entire infrastructure for RRWS will be very hierarchical with orders, etc. coming from the top down. 

Please note: my changes to this website do not change the names or affiliations of any individual meeting here in Phoenix or Arizona. Each meeting will need to decide its affiliation for itself. I will be happy to list any Recovery Dharma meeting in Phoenix - or the state of Arizona here; just let me know. 

-Catherine Rezza