University of Rochester trademark dispute leads to name change for Michigan's Rochester University
A small university in Michigan has agreed to change its name from Rochester University to Rochester Christian University, bowing to a trademark infringement lawsuit by the University of Rochester.
UR sued RU in federal court in June 2023, arguing that the Michigan school's name and website address — www.rochesteru.edu, one letter from UR's www.rochester.edu — were too close to its own. The Michigan school had only recently changed its name from Rochester College to Rochester University.
UR also made the case that some of its students and alumni had mistakenly connected with RU on various social media networks, including LinkedIn. It asked a judge to force the Michigan school to change its name.
In a recent press release Rochester University said it will do just that, changing its name to Rochester Christian University effective immediately.
“During the discussions involved in coming to this decision, it became clear that this change not only brings a resolution to the University of Rochester’s concerns, but also provides our institution with a wonderful opportunity to clarify and communicate our mission, values and purpose," said Brian Stogner, president of the Michigan school. “We realize that our status as a Christian institution is not widely known or well understood. Thus, we will be publicly expressing this identity by putting the name ‘Christian’ back into our name."
Rochester Christian University was known at earlier points in its history as North Central Christian College and then Michigan Christian College.
UR spokeswoman Sara Miller confirmed the case had been "amicably resolved out of court." The federal lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed Jan. 31, according to court records.
"As we said this past June, we had hoped that a resolution could be worked out between the two institutions, and this is the case," Miller wrote in an email.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: UR lawsuit leads to name change for Michigan's Rochester University
