Savannah school in name dispute with University of the South

SAVANNAH - John T. South believes he has the right to use his name for his school. <br> <br> The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., says the name South University for the Savannah business school infringes on its trademark. <br> <br> The dispute has led South to file a lawsuit against the University of the South in U.S. District Court to secure trademark rights to the name South University. <br> <br> ``I went ahead and filed first to ensure the venue was in Savannah,&#39;&#39; South said. <br> <br> The University of the South has not yet filed a response to the Sept. 13 filing. South said he hopes the issue will be resolved before the case goes to trial. <br> <br> The University of the South, a liberal arts school, has been educating students since 1857 and the name is registered with the U.S. patent office, said Joe Romano, spokesman for the school between Nashville and Chattanooga. <br> <br> South University is a private, for-profit institution with small campuses in Savannah, Montgomery, Ala., West Palm Beach, Fla., and Columbia, S.C. Its primary focus is on degrees in business and health professions. <br> <br> The University of the South demanded that South cease and desist using the name South University because prospective students searching for information online might confuse the two. <br> <br> South said he offered to place a disclaimer on the South University Web site and marketing materials to eliminate any confusion. He pointed out that his institution had a very different mission and programs from the religious-based, liberal arts institution. <br> <br> He informed the Tennessee college that the South in his institution&#39;s name is not a description of its location but his last name. <br> <br> ``They suggested that I change the name to John South University,&#39;&#39; South said. <br> <br> Romano suggested that he name his school South College, the name his institution held for 15 years and the name of his brother Stephen South&#39;s institution, which is located in Tennessee. <br> <br> ``They&#39;re so close South University and University of the South,&#39;&#39; Romano said. <br> <br> South said he, his faculty, students and staff worked hard to attain university status in October 2001. And since 1986, they have been building the institution up from a little certificate-offering business college to a doctorate-degree-offering university, he said.