Summary: After changing their name to better represent their location, South Texas College of Law is being sued by Houston’s other local law school.
South Texas College of Law changed their name to Houston College of Law just days ago and the school is already being sued. The University of Houston is suing the 93-year-old law school claiming they have “willfully” infringed on their intellectual property.
The lawsuit states, “Through this name change and by adopting UH’s color scheme, STCL is attempting to associate itself with the standing and reputation of the University of Houston System and the University of Houston Law Center.”
Read How U.S. Law School Rankings Help Lower-Ranked Schools.
Houston College of Law firmly believes they have every legal right to change the name of their school to more appropriately match their longtime home. The board of directors said last week, “We made the decision to change the name of the 93-year-old law school based on overwhelming support to tie our institution with its birthplace in downtown Houston. We believe that we are on firm legal ground with this name change, and that we are acting in the best interest of the law school and its students.”
The University of Houston, which happens to be ranked No. 50 by U.S. News believes that Houston College of Law, which is not ranked, is trying to capitalize on their reputation. UH Chairman Tilman Fertitta said, “This is about protecting our reputation and our business. We’ve earned our standing as a nationally ranked law center, and we won’t allow someone else to change their name and colors and market themselves on our success.”
See 2017 Law School Rankings by U.S. News & World Report.
UH is being represented by prominent Houston attorney Tony Buzbee. He said in a statement, “The University of Houston Law Center’s brand is associated nationwide with top-notch faculty and lawyers. UH didn’t take shortcuts to achieve this recognition. We believe the attempted renaming of South Texas College of Law is nothing more than an improper shortcut to take advantage of the success UH has achieved.”
Do you think South Texas College of Law is trying to take advantage of UH’s success? Tell us in the comments below.
To learn more about STCL’s renaming, read South Texas College of Law Gets a New Name.
Photo: marynewton.typepad.com