« Law - More on "Jackson’s Will Could Set Off Legal Battle Over Estate" [Updated] | Main | Law - What do law firms charge for their time? »

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Ind. Courts - "Franklin College sues Ohio-based university"

Today in the Indianapolis Star, Cindy Marshall reports:

Franklin College filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Franklin University to stop the Ohio institution, which is opening a location in the Castleton area on the Northeastside, from using confusing images in its advertising.

"Since Franklin University began its advertising blitz in Central Indiana this spring, we have received calls, comments and e-mail messages from many people asking why we changed our name or whether we've opened a satellite office for online education in Indianapolis," Franklin College President James Moseley said in a statement.
Advertisement

"We have great concerns about the impact of the obvious confusion, especially with prospective students and employers of our alumni."

Of particular concern to the college is its trademark clock tower logo.

"Their ads include colors and a 'clock tower' design amazingly similar to our logo," Moseley said.

Responding to the suit, Franklin University said it will protect the right to use its own name and publicize its programs in a factual manner.

Franklin College, a liberal arts institution with about 1,000 undergraduate students, is in the Johnson County city of the same name, about 25 miles south of Indianapolis. The school is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year.

Franklin University, founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1902, recently leased nearly 20,000 square feet of space at the Allison Pointe Office Park on the Northeastside of Indianapolis.

Here are the statements from Franklin College and Franklin University. Take a look. When doing so, take particular note of the logos of each institution, including the typeface.

[Note: I tried to download a copy of the complaint, to accompany this entry, twice. Each time Pacer charged me $0.98, but the PDF file I received caused my Firefox browser to bomb.]

Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 7, 2009 11:50 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts