Greek Organizations File Joint Litigation To Protect Trademark Rights

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Greek Organizations File Joint Litigation To Protect Trademark Rights

INDIANAPOLIS – April 7, 2005 – 26 national and international Greek organizations today filed a joint lawsuit in Indiana Federal Court against Greek product manufacturers and marketers Greek 101, Alexandra & Company and CDI Corporation, on charges of trademark infringement, unfair competition and trademark dilution. The lawsuit was filed as a result of the three defendants’ continued, unauthorized use of the Greek organizations’ protected trademarks. Stites & Harbison’s intellectual property group in Louisville, Kentucky has been retained as legal counsel by the Greek organizations.

“The defendants haven’t just violated the rights of Greek organizations in this case, but they have, in essence stolen business from hundreds of legally licensed vendors who are the only ones authorized to manufacture and market products using these protected trademarks,” said Mark Anderson, executive secretary for Sigma Chi. “This lawsuit is as much about standing by those vendors who faithfully abide by our quality control standards as it is about trademark protection.”

“The size and breadth of this joint litigation irrefutably shows that Greek organizations are aligned and focused on protecting the individual and collective use of our marks. I am disappointed that there are companies whose refusal to abide by our very reasonable licensing requirements have placed them in such a difficult and unfortunate legal predicament,” said Cari Cook, executive director for Delta Delta Delta.

The lawsuit was filed in the same court that recently ruled in favor of Greek trademark rights when it decided afghan manufacturer, Pure Country, violated state and federal trademark laws when it continued to sell branded products outside of a license agreement with various Greek organizations. Pure Country agreed to pay the Greek organizations in excess of $200,000 to settle the dispute over damages.

Recent law clearly establishes Greek organizations’ rights to protect their marks and ensure that products and services that contain their insignia meet fundamental quality standards,” said Dan Shaver, president of Affinity Marketing Consultants, Inc. “We are hopeful that other unlicensed manufacturers and screen printers will seize the opportunity to become licensed instead of waiting until legal action becomes necessary.

The 26 plaintiffs are:

Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Omicron Pi
Alpha Phi
Alpha Tau Omega
Alpha Xi Delta
Beta Theta Pi
Chi Omega
Delta Chi
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Gamma
Delta Phi Epsilon
Delta Tau Delta
Gamma Phi Beta
Kappa Alpha Order
Kappa Delta
Lambda Chi Alpha
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Kappa Tau
Phi Kappa Theta
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Chi
Sigma Kappa
Sigma Phi Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Zeta Beta Tau

To date, over 46 national and international Greek-letter organizations, representing over five million households, proactively manage comprehensive licensing programs that grant companies approval to use their trademarks on high-quality and appropriate products and services. To learn more about the licensing efforts of these Greek organizations, visit www.GreekLicensing.com.

© 2005, Sigma Chi International Headquarters

Edited to correct link.