Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Sues to Enforce Trade Dress

Phi Theta Kappa, an international academic honor society, is suing HonorSociety.Org Inc. in Mississippi federal court for allegedly infringing its trade dress.

Honor Society has marketed and displayed work that mimics PTK’s “design, appearance, styling, look, and feel,” which is distinctive and non-functional, the complaint said.

Honor Society has similar looking regalia, marketing statements, and websites, and it claims to have trademarked “Career Edge,” which mimics PTK’s common law rights to the “PTK Edge” mark.

PTK said it received over 100 complaints from customers who joined Honor Society thinking they joined PTK or received invitations to join Honor Society and ...