Court Will Settle Confusion Over School Names

If you live in central Indiana, the odds are that you've been pretty confused by recent TV commercials promoting the "new" Franklin University. But Franklin University is different from Franklin College, the 175-year-old liberal arts institution in Franklin, Ind., and that's why Franklin College is suing Franklin University to protect the college's registered trademark, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports.

Franklin University, a private university in Columbus, Ohio, is expanding, opening a new branch campus in Indianapolis. But Franklin College President James Moseley says the advertisements Franklin University has been running in the area feature colors and a logo that are "amazingly similar" to Franklin College's logo, reports the Indianapolis Star. Moseley fears that his college, which is roughly 20 miles south of Indianapolis, has been negatively affected by Franklin University's ad campaign, saying that the injunction is a necessary move to remedy the situation.

"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," Moseley said in a statement on his school's Web site. "We have great concerns about the impact of the obvious confusion, especially with prospective students and employers of our alumni."

Franklin University officials called the Franklin College decision "unfortunate," saying the college never contacted them about marketing concerns, Inside Indiana Business reports.

"Franklin University will certainly act to protect the right to use its own name to publicize its programs in a factual and consistent manner," Franklin University officials said in a statement.

Franklin University plans to start classes at its Indianapolis campus in the fall.