The Natural Products Association wants a former regional member, and now competitor, to change its name and logo.

SENPA, long known as the Southeast Natural Products Association, announced in September that it would no longer charter as a regional member of NPA. Instead, the New Port Richey, Fla.-based group adopted new mission and vision statements, and said that it would be known only as SENPA. (The letters now correspond to Source for Education in Natural Product industry, and Advocacy.)

In December 2016, SENPA also opened its membership to the entire country, rather than just the Southeast United States.

On Oct. 2, NPA sent a cease and desist letter to SENPA, saying the group's name and leaf-decorated logo would cause confusion with its own name and service marks. SENPA disagrees that its service marks would cause consumer confusion.

NPA has four other regional members. According to NPA's website, each regional NPA has its own board of directors, and the president of each region sits on the NPA board of directors.

"NPA will not permit unaffiliated organizations to trade on its reputation and goodwill and harm its national and state advocacy efforts," the group said in a statement. "The actions—taken by SENPA—to open up their membership to those outside its region and infringe on NPA's trademarks—while they were still serving on NPA's board of directors, is an undisclosed conflict and breach of duties owed to NPA."

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