The University of Houston and South Texas College of Law Houston today announced that they have settled their trademark dispute over the rebranding in June 2016 of South Texas College of Law to Houston College of Law.
Following a federal court opinion in October 2016 granting University of Houston’s request for a preliminary injunction, South Texas College of Law Houston’s board of directors elected to proceed with the name South Texas College of Law Houston, appending “Houston” to the school’s former name.
Following mediation before Judge Dena Palermo, the parties signed a settlement agreement that enables South Texas College of Law Houston to use the geographic descriptor “Houston” in its name and in other marketing of the law school, while ensuring its use of “Houston” will not cause confusion between the two schools. University of Houston agreed to dismiss its lawsuit, and South Texas College of Law Houston agreed not to challenge the University of Houston’s trademark application for the use of “Houston” related to education services and related goods and services.
Board members for both schools are pleased to have reached a resolution and are proud of the impact their respective law schools have on the city of Houston, the state of Texas, and the national and international legal communities. This satisfactory settlement enables both law schools to co-exist in Houston in a separate and distinct manner and to continue their educational missions.