HOUSTON – A judge issued a preliminary injunction in favor of the University of Houston that requires Houston College of Law, which was formerly known as South Texas College of Law, to revert to its original name, university officials said.
This comes after the University of Houston System announced it filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Houston College of Law, as reported in June.
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University of Houston administrators said Houston College of Law was intentionally copying the university's red and white color scheme and causing brand confusion by using the name Houston College of Law, instead of its former name, South Texas College of Law.
A court may grant a preliminary injunction when a party shows there is a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of the case, which the university said it demonstrated.
"The university is pleased a federal court recognized the University of Houston's strong trademarks and its reputation as a top-tier law school," the university said in a statement. "The University of Houston appreciates the work of its legal team."
Tony Buzbee, principal of The Buzbee Law Firm, which is representing UH as lead counsel, said in a statement they are pleased with the court's decision.
"The evidence showed overwhelmingly that the name change caused confusion in the marketplace," Buzbee said. "The next step is for South Texas College of Law to remove their billboards, change their website, remove merchandise from stores and change their name in the American Bar Association database. This is a complete victory for the University of Houston and the UH Law Center."
Houston College of Law said in a statement it is disappointed by the opinion delivered Friday by the court, which grants the motion for preliminary injunction in its ongoing name change litigation.
"The law school's legal team is reviewing the opinion to determine the way forward," Houston College of Law said. "We will continue to keep our community informed of additional developments as they arise."