Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg is suing Mount Saint Mary's University of Los Angeles in federal court, arguing the California institution is violating its trademarks.
The Frederick County university filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to stop the Los Angeles school from offering online classes across the country under the banner of "Mount Saint Mary's University Online."
Mount St. Mary's is seeking damages based on an accounting of all profits the Los Angeles school derives from the online classes.
The Emmitsburg Mount St. Mary's says the Los Angeles Mount Saint Mary's began using trademarked terms including "Mount St. Mary's University," "Mount Saint Mary's University" and "the Mount" in January.
Both are Catholic liberal arts colleges, is as Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y.
Officials in Emmitsburg reached out to their counterparts in Los Angeles in March and April "in hopes to settle this issue in an amicable manner," a spokesman for the school said, but the efforts were not successful.
The Los Angeles Mount Saint Mary's "unlawfully trades on the goodwill and reputation" the Emmitsburg Mount St. Mary's has established with its trademarks, the school argues in the lawsuit.
The university has held the trademarks since 2004, spokesman Christian Kendzierski said.
"Our name has become well-known and distinctive of MSMU's educational services to the public and is recognized by current and prospective students, alumni and others in the field of higher education across the country and around the world," he said.
A spokeswoman for Mount Saint Mary's University of Los Angeles said the lawsuit was being reviewed by the university's counsel. She said the school had no comment.
Mount St. Mary's University was founded in Emmitsburg in 1808. Mount Saint Mary's University of Los Angeles, primarily a women's college, was founded in 1925.
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