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SIGMA CHI WINS TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT CASE

SIGMA CHI WINS TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT CASE
Court of Appeals affirms District Court's ruling

VISTA, Calif. 9/4/02—The Sigma Chi Fraternity, a non-profit organization committed to the ideals of friendship, justice and learning, today announced a favorable ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, affirming the lower court’s ruling that Taylor Corporation, d.b.a. Greek Lifestyles, was guilty of two counts of trademark infringement and one count of unfair competition.

“The Court upheld our long-standing claim that the unauthorized use of Sigma Chi’s trademarks is a violation of the Fraternity’s trademark rights,” said Jack Wheat, Esq., leader of southeastern regional law firm Stite and Harbison’s Intellectual Property Services Group and lead counsel for Sigma Chi. “We are confident that this decision will serve as a strong precedent in favor of fraternity and sorority licensing programs.”

Prior to the Court’s decision, The International Trademark Association, a not-for-profit organization, whose more than 3,800 members have a special interest in trademarks, submitted a brief urging the Court of Appeals to “uphold the principles of unfair competition law applied by the District Court.” The Court of Appeals did just that, and more, by stating in its decision, “We affirm the judgment entered in this case based on the District Court’s well-reasoned memorandum opinion filed on April 7, 2000.”

“After Taylor’s failed attempt to overturn the ruling in Sigma Chi’s favor, there should be no question regarding the trademark rights of Sigma Chi and other fraternal organizations,” said Dan Shaver, president of Affinity Marketing Consultants Inc., a licensing consultancy. “We are pleased that the Court affirmed Sigma Chi’s rights and reinforced that fraternities and sororities enjoy the same legal protection against infringement that other intellectual property owners enjoy.”

Sigma Chi originally filed suit upon discovery that Taylor was marketing and selling, without authorization, merchandise bearing Sigma Chi’s registered marks. Sigma Chi continues to aggressively enforce its trademark rights to ensure that only the highest quality products and services contain its marks. Through a comprehensive program, Sigma Chi licenses vendors who provide quality products, reasonable prices and exceptional service to the Fraternity’s more than 200,000 members, their families and friends.

© 2004, Sigma Chi International Headquarters