Point/Counterpoint: Franklin lawsuit
PRO (Hommell)
Due to the massive amount of times the word "Franklin" shows up in this debate (and the confusion it would cause) I will be referring to Franklin College as "College" and Franklin University as "University."
The biggest reason that College had to sue University is for the way that both institutions are advertised in the same Indianapolis market. With logos that look very much alike, and the way that University referred to itself as "Franklin," made this lawsuit a no-brainer.
It’s not fair for the University to ride the coattails of the college that has gained a strong reputation in this area.
Would it be OK to call a computer paper company HP for "Heavy Paper" versus HP for the computer company "Hewlett-Packard?" Of course not.
University also purchased ads on television immediately following a television broadcast of the Indianapolis Colts minicamp held at the college. On top of that, University bought ad spots for the radio on WFYI, the same station that broadcasts on the college’s station during the day. Talk about confusing.
Both schools are used by two different sets of students; adult classes at the university version and traditional classes at the college. However, that is not enough of a distinction in the case. Like the "HP" example, the advertising and usage of images were so similar that even student’s family members were worried their school has gone from FC to FU. That has administrators looking for the number of their attorney.
The college won in court and so did students looking for a four-year traditional college in central Indiana. Now that chance won’t be clouded by cheap advertising from a competitor looking for a hand hold.
CON (Shields)
When I first heard Franklin College was going to sue Franklin University over a name dispute, I couldn’t believe it.
It seemed ridiculous at the time. In fact, it still seems a bit ridiculous that we filed an injunction.
How hard is it to tell the difference between a university and a college anyway? It seems pretty straightforward. Although the logos may be similar, they aren’t the same.
And Franklin College is a school specifically for students in their late teens and early 20s seeking to earn an undergraduate degree. Franklin University is an online program, targeted at adults in their 30s and 40s seeking to extend their level of education.
I don’t understand why we even wasted our time by taking this issue to court. I don’t think Florida College has ever sued the University of Florida, so why should we have even bothered?
This does illustrate one point though. Many alumni were confused when they began seeing ads for Franklin University-Indianapolis in the Indiana market. Many began thinking that the college had changed its name and relocated.
What this tells me is that the college has poor relations with its alumni. If the college were going to relocate, alumni would definitely have been informed. But they all seemed quite startled by the ads.
Instead of wasting our time and money by going to court, we should have spent the money on advertising and alumni relations. A well-funded campaign would be sure to separate us from Franklin University and help draw in more students.
Alumni would never have been confused about the name issue with stronger relations, either.
Evan, did Franklin College go to court? --No. (Do your research) Also, if it wasn't for our alumni relations, you would not be studying journalism. They help pay for our scholarhips and the daily expenses to run Franklin College. More alumni donated money to the school this last year than they have in the past. The alumnni contacting the school about this confusion with Franklin University simplpy shows their concern for the college. I would be giving Institutional Advancement an apology if I were you.
