INDIANA COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF GREEK LICENSING PROGRAMS
Vista, Calif. – November 1, 2004 – In the Southern District of Indiana,
U.S.
District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker ruled last week in favor of six
Greek-letter
organizations in a trademark infringement lawsuit against Pure Country,
Inc., a North
Carolina manufacturer of afghans and blankets. The Judge entered a
judgment in favor
of the Greek organizations on counts of trademark infringement, unfair
competition and
breach of contract.
The six plaintiffs, which included Alpha Tau Omega, Delta Delta
Delta, Delta
Tau Delta, Kappa Sigma, Sigma Nu and Sigma Phi Epsilon, filed their case
against Pure
Country for failing to abide by the continuing obligations of their
license agreements with
Pure Country. The six fraternal organizations filed suit upon discovery
that Pure Country
was continuing to sell products containing the organizations’ protected
marks after
having cancelled its license agreements with the organizations.
“Tri Delta continues to take active steps to manage our trademark
rights through
licensing, and this favorable ruling reinforces the valuable
relationships we’ve created
with more than one hundred quality licensees to date,” said Cari Cook,
executive director
for Delta Delta Delta.
“Rulings in recent years have consistently supported Greek trademark
rights,
creating an unstoppable momentum behind this movement,” said Wynn
Smiley, CEO of
Alpha Tau Omega. “Unlicensed manufacturers of Greek merchandise can no
longer
claim ignorance about the legitimate trademark rights of Greek
organizations. As such,
we’re seeing a significant increase in licensing applications from
vendors, reducing the
need for further litigation to protect our trademark rights in the
future.”
To date, over 42 national Greek-letter organizations, representing
over four
million households, proactively manage comprehensive licensing programs
that grant
companies approval to use their trademarks on high-quality and
appropriate products and
services. For a complete copy of the Judge’s ruling, please visit
www.greeklicensing.com.
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