The dust up that began last week when the University of Houston cried foul after the South Texas College of Law announced its intended name change to Houston College of Law has reached a much higher level of dispute. On Monday, UH filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in U.S. District Court calling for a halt to the name change.
Going for the jugular, UH has hired trial lawyer and Donald Trump supporter Tony Buzbee as lead counsel. A UH law graduate accustomed to multi-million dollar settlements, Buzbee has been quoted in the past on his courtroom stance, saying, "I am at war. I won't fail."
The suit alleges that the name change and its adoption of the UH red and white scheme in its logo constitutes “intentional and willful infringement of UH’s intellectual property and unfair competition,” which results in “confusion in the marketplace and damage” to the university and its brand.
“This is about protecting our reputation and our business,” Tilman Fertitta, chairman of the UH System Board of Regents, said in a statement. “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.”
Joining Buzbee in the effort is Sutton, McAughan, Deaver, PLLC.
Houston College of Law spokeswoman Claire Caton told the Associated Press that the school does not comment on pending litigation.
