Fake Pi Kappa Phi Chapter!?!

swede · #1 12-05-2002, 05:19 AM

Whoa, I think I just stumbled upon bizzaro land!

I am a Pi Kappa Phi and came across this website:
http://www.angelfire.com/oh4/Countryclub00/

They are a Pi Kappa Phi chapter at Otterbein College near Columbus, Ohio. This is right from their website:
We are a local fraternity, which means that we are in no way affiliated with the national Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity.

Here is the link to Otterbein College's greek life website. Pi Kappa Phi Country Club as they call themselves are not listed there.
http://www.otterbein.edu/studentlife...frat_soror.asp

Pi Kappa Phi was founded in 1904 and we have 120 some active chapters. I am very confused as to how they can exist under the same name as my fraternity?

sfasammy · #2 12-05-2002, 05:28 AM

Perhaps it is an arrangement like Kappa Alpha Order and Kappa Alpha Society?

crystalline · #3 12-05-2002, 10:09 AM

If it's not listed in their school's thing, that's weird.

Blue Violet · #4 12-05-2002, 11:47 AM

IMO-they are not trying to be like PKPhi fraternity. They even said in the website that they are not affiliated with you. So I wouldn't classify them as fake. They also call themselves Pi Kappa Phi Country Club. I know it's close, and I can see why you'd be a little tiffed, but they are technically going by a different name too. Maybe the things they stand for go with the letters Pi Kappa Phi and they weren't trying to rip you off. Have you emailed them to see what the deal is, if they are trying to copy you or if they just happen to have the same letters. There's an international society for women called Delta Phi Epsilon and they are not related to the NPC sorority. Just a thought.....

texas*princess · #5 12-05-2002, 11:49 AM

maybe they are just considered a "club" and not so much a recognized fraternity?

i'm guessing maybe they didn't do the name thing on purpose.. perhaps they picked the name awhile back when the local was founded and just recently realized it was, in fact, a name of a national fratnerity.

MTSUGURL · #6 12-05-2002, 12:03 PM

First of all, although I dearly love Pi Kappa Phi, (my best friend is a Pi Kapp), I think you are wrong in labeling this group as fake. Groups sharing the same letters is not an unheard of thing, albeit not a necessarily appropriate thing. There is a local fraternity in California with the same name as my sorority, but I consider them a real organization. Calling them fake would be denying their heritage and their values. Just because they aren't listed on the Greek website doesn't necessarily mean anything. My sorority isn't listed on any part of the Greek portion of the MTSU website. We are a national organization, and National considers us Greek. We have another website on geocities.com, and are listed on our campus website under student organizations. Have you tried looking under this heading on their campus website?

As sfasammy said, there maybe a situation similar to Kappa Alpha Order and Kappa Alpha Society. Although I can understand confusion at the fact their letters are the same as yours, if they do not claim to be affiliated with your fraternity, why does it matter that much? I know your letters and their meanings are special to you, but I'm sure their letters and their meanings are just as special to them.

Kevin · #7 12-05-2002, 12:15 PM

I'm no legal person but I do think that GLO's have trademarked/copyrighted our letters (well many of us have). Your HQ might see it fit to pursue the matter in court. I definitely wouldn't want someone who was NOT a Sigma Nu walking around representing us. These guys are representing your organization and that can be dangerous.

nyrdrms · #8 12-05-2002, 01:57 PM

NPC recently had to change the name of the recruitment counselors because Rho Chi was a pharmaceutical fraternity. I would imagine that you could argue the same case...that the name Pi Kappa Phi is already in use. For them to acknowledge that they are not a part of Pi Kappa Phi national fraternity, that means that they also acknowledge the existance of it and realize that the name is in use.

texas*princess · #9 12-05-2002, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ktsnake
I'm no legal person but I do think that GLO's have trademarked/copyrighted our letters (well many of us have). Your HQ might see it fit to pursue the matter in court. I definitely wouldn't want someone who was NOT a Sigma Nu walking around representing us. These guys are representing your organization and that can be dangerous.

While I can sort of agree that yes, many groups have trademarked letters/names... why would you do something like that? I think it would be bad PR for say, Pi Kappa Phi for example, to pursue such a thing... but that's just my opinion...

Just as MSTUGurl said, while your letters and meanings are special to you, the other group holds the same letters, and different meanings special to them as well... it's not like they are claiming to be part of the national organization... they clearly state they are not affiliated. and it's just like i mentioned before... perhaps they didn't know another organization called Pi Kappa Phi existed in the first place. They were founded just 4 years after the national organization, and being it was a LONG time ago, I don't think they named their organization the same thing on purpose because greek letter organizations probably weren't as big then as they are now

Kevin · #10 12-05-2002, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by texas*princess

While I can sort of agree that yes, many groups have trademarked letters/names... why would you do something like that? I think it would be bad PR for say, Pi Kappa Phi for example, to pursue such a thing... but that's just my opinion...

I disagree. By calling themselves Pi Kappa Phi's and not actually belonging they are still representing Pi Kappa Phi to those people who don't know. If they were implicated in a drug/sex/alcohol scandal they would be named on the news as Pi Kappa Phi. Do you think the news be likely to put a disclaimer on there saying that they in no way were associated with the National NIC Fraternity?

shadokat · #11 12-05-2002, 02:27 PM

You can go to www.uspto.gov and search to see if your group has your letters, crest, etc. trademarked. Pi Kappa Phi does not, and doesn't appear to have even dead trademarks that weren't renewed. So in reality, any group can call themselves Pi Kappa Phi and that's fine. As for the other Delta Phi Epsilon, they are an international service fraternity, and the reason it's ok for them to do that, is because we don't have our letters/name trademarked yet.

texas*princess · #12 12-05-2002, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ktsnake

I disagree. By calling themselves Pi Kappa Phi's and not actually belonging they are still representing Pi Kappa Phi to those people who don't know. If they were implicated in a drug/sex/alcohol scandal they would be named on the news as Pi Kappa Phi. Do you think the news be likely to put a disclaimer on there saying that they in no way were associated with the National NIC Fraternity?

To each their own, I guess. And while you do have a point, (about the news putting a disclaimer..) these guys are not openly "pretending" to be a part of the national NIC organization. It is an entirely separete entity.

Not everyone is perfect, and sometimes things do go wrong, but on the opposite side of the sword, what if some members of the NIC Pi Kappa Phi chapters did something wrong... would they say "these guys are the NIC organization, not the Pi Kappa Phi Country Club" ? Probably not.

They have to deal with the same repercussions. Just because they are not an NIC organization I don't think it would be right to call them "fake" or make them change their name.

Lady Pi Phi · #13 12-05-2002, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by crystalline
If it's not listed in their school's thing, that's weird.

I'm not sure what you mean by this? We're not listed on our school's "thing"-I'm assuming you mean website, and we're not listed on our school's website because we are not recognized by our school.

FuzzieAlum · #14 12-05-2002, 03:19 PM

If this other org was founded only four years after Pi Kappa Phi, I would bet a large sum of money that many, many members before you have become aware of this group and brought it to the attention of your nationals long before now. If they haven't gotten excited because this group has the same letters yet, they're not going to get excited now.

By all means, feel free to mention it to your HQ, but don't expect them to do much. And let them handle it rather than taking on this organization yourself.

angelic1 · #15 12-05-2002, 03:36 PM

This thread.. i have seen things on this before but the link to patents was neat.. (thanks shadokat).

I looked up Pi Phi and found out that we have the design of how our letters apear on our badge trademarked. I dont think you can have the letters but I guess a specific design. It would be interesting to know if there are more things that we have patented or trademarked.

Back to the post.. I know that it would be frustrating to see someone with the same name as your organization, but there is really nothing you can do unless they are trying to portray themselves as you.. which it doesnt appear like they are doing. All those freedoms we have.. gosh

(I am just going off my own knowledge of the matter.. I could be wrong)