How a Nonprofit Corporate Legal Department Hired a Lawyer to Prepare & File a Trademark cease and desist in New York

Make sure you respond to the letter and meet any deadlines required. You can respond as you have here that you do not think you have infringed on their trademark. Call them and try to work out a solution. If you can work with them to reach resolution, that will be much easier. If this becomes a lawsuit, unless one side settles, the case will take a long time and have to go all the way to trial to decide if it is infringement. It's likely that the legal fees will get very expensive. You should seek legal counsel if you believe that is within your budget.

Ignoring a trademark cease and desist letter is risky, even with a potential fair use defense. While trademark fair use for commentary and criticism is recognized, its application depends on specific factors like how prominently you're using the mark, whether consumers might be confused, and if your use is commercial. Ignoring the letter could lead to escalation, including a lawsuit where you'd need to defend yourself at significant expense. A better approach is sending a response letter explaining your fair use position and why your use doesn't constitute infringement. This demonstrates you're taking the matter seriously while asserting your rights. Consider consulting with an IP attorney to evaluate the strength of your fair use defense and craft an appropriate response that might prevent further legal action.