Wharton School says L.A. company misusing its name

There’s only one Wharton School. The University of Pennsylvania wants to make sure there’s no confusion about that.

The university filed a lawsuit accusing a Beverly Hills company of operating an online university that uses the well-respected business school’s name and Penn’s 132-year-old trademark without authorization.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Philadelphia, seeks a court order that would bar Wharton Business Foundation — and its affiliated Wharton Business Foundation University — from using the Wharton trademark.

Wharton Business Foundation’s use of the Wharton name “creates a likelihood of confusion in the marketplace,” the University of Pennsylvania said in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Philadelphia.

Officials at Wharton Business Foundation didn’t immediately return a phone message seeking comment about Penn’s allegations.

Wharton Business Foundation operates a website with the Wharton name and offers services including business education and business consultation through its Wharton Business Foundation University, according to the complaint.

The Beverly Hills company’s site says, “We’re expert in helping you grow your business and your income to the next level.”

Penn has been using the Wharton registered mark for business education since as early as 1881 and for business consultation since 1953, lawyers for the university said in the filing. The university is seeking a jury trial and a court order barring the misuse of its mark.

U.S. News and World Report recently ranked Wharton School as the third-best business school in the United States behind Harvard and Stanford universities. Tuition runs $57,300 per year, U.S. News and World Report said.

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