Franklins iron out trademark dispute-WEB ONLY

The agreed judgment against Franklin University was negotiated yesterday by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Tim Baker and signed today by U.S. District Court Judge William Lawrence.

The agreement will go into affect Aug. 3, affecting Franklin University’s marketing in the Indianapolis area. Franklin University must include the word “Ohio” at least once in all its advertisements, brochures and students recruiting efforts.

Franklin University cannot use the word “Indianapolis” or “Indiana,” and cannot merely refer to itself as “Franklin.” It also cannot use Web sites or e-mail addresses that contain the words” Indianapolis,” “Indiana” or “Indy.”

And perhaps most persnickety, Franklin University cannot use the Waters Titling font in its advertisements – which it currently is not using.

To make sure Franklin University complies with the agreement, it must provide Franklin College advance copies of any new marketing materials before releasing them. Franklin College will then have two days to object to any content in the ads or other materials.

Franklin University sees that as a much lighter burden than going to court over marketing materials, said Alan Brown, an Indianapolis attorney who represented Franklin University in the negotiations.

“The intent of this agreement is for the parties to resolve all their differences and never see each other in court again,” Brown said, adding, “We’re happy to enter into this deal, because it further ensures that there won’t be confusion between the two schools.”

Franklin College also declared success.

“This has been about protecting our reputation and our 175-year history in Indiana and we are pleased to resolve these issues so we can move forward,” said Franklin College President Jay Moseley, in a prepared statement.

Franklin College sued Franklin University on July 6 in federal court in Indianapolis, asking for an injunction against Franklin University for trademark infringement.

Confusion over the two schools’ names sprung up this spring when Franklin University announced it would open a campus in Indianapolis. The 107-year-old, not-for-profit school leased office space in Castleton and began frequent print and radio ads.

But Franklin College said the marketing blitz was too close to Franklin College’s own branding.

Franklin College officials said they have received many calls, comments and e-mail messages asking why the school has changed its name or whether it has opened a satellite office for online courses. They also complained that the colors and clock tower in some Franklin University ads are strikingly similar to Franklin College’s logo.

Sherry Mercurio, a spokeswoman for Franklin University, said earlier this month that the school has been using its name in a “factual and consistent manner.”

The two schools have different missions. Franklin College is a liberal arts school that enrolls mostly 18-to-22-year-olds, nearly all of whom reside on its campus in Franklin, a city 30 minutes south of Indianapolis. The school has about 1,000 students.

Franklin University enrolls primarily working adults, whose average age is over 30. Many of its courses are taught online. Indianapolis is the first new U.S. market for Franklin University, which plans to expand in the Midwest and even in other countries. The school has about 11,000 students.

In an interview in June, Linda Steele, vice president of marketing for Franklin University, said the school never considered operating under a different name than Franklin in Indianapolis.

“The Franklin College issue came up and we really did have to take a step back and ask the question whether that is a showstopper,” Steele said. “Obviously, we think not, because we chose to go forward.”