North Carolina Association of Educators News Service

RALEIGH – The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) sent a cease-and-desist letter to Michele Morrow’s campaign, instructing them to stop using apple-shaped campaign materials. As a trusted symbol of educators’ endorsement, NCAE has exclusive rights to use the registered service mark of an apple outline in North Carolina through an agreement with the mark’s owner, the Montgomery County Education Association.

The trademarked Apple has been recognized by the United States Patent and Trademark Office since 1998 “for Political Advocacy Services, namely, promoting the interests of public educators by evaluating and endorsing candidates for political office on the basis of their support for public education.”

Public school staff handing out Apple Ballots has been a staple sight at North Carolina polling sites for decades and NCAE members want there to be no mistake about who belongs on the Apple Ballot. In December 2023, NCAE’s registered PAC, the NCAE Great Public Schools Fund, endorsed Maurice ‘Mo’ Green for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

“Michelle Morrow does not support public education and has never worked in or even sent her children to a North Carolina public school. Voters can see she’s trying to hide behind the apple symbol, but her disrespect of public school teachers and staff, support for political violence, and her plan to put cameras in school bathrooms, just to name a few, makes her unqualified for state superintendent of public instruction,” said Tamika Walker Kelly, NCAE president.

On July 12, NCAE sent an initial cease-and-desist letter to Morrow’s campaign. Her campaign’s legal counsel responded on July 31 with a letter that obfuscated the mark in question, while refusing to stop using the registered image. NCAE sent a further communication with supporting documentation. Those documents can be downloaded here.

“Morrow’s claim that the apple image is just a generic symbol of education is misleading. To her, it might just be a cutout of an apple, but the trademarked property helps ensure the public knows what is genuine and authentic. In this case, the Apple Ballot is trademarked and licensed property used by hardworking public education professionals to voice their support for candidates that support public education — something she clearly does not understand,” said Walker Kelly.

It is our expectation that Morrow’s campaign will recognize NCAE’s right to apple-shaped campaign materials and immediately cease-and-desist use by her campaign. If not, NCAE will be forced to take further legal action to protect the integrity of this registered mark.