Minnesota’s Saint John’s University sues New York school over ‘Johnnies’ name

Saint John’s University (SJU) in Collegeville, Minnesota has filed a lawsuit against Saint John’s in New York (SJNY) over the use of the name “Johnnies,” “Johnnie” and “Johnny.”

According to court documents, SJU, which sits just outside St. Cloud, has used the name since at least 1900 and trademarked it in 2004.

The case centers on how both schools use Saint John’s branding and the Johnnies name online and in public-facing materials.

SJNY used to be known as the Redmen and later the Red Storm, but the school did not use Johnnie until 2009, when it unveiled “Johnny Thunderbird,” and has since expanded that use.

SJU alleges that its university markets to an “undeniable overlap in the students marketed to, recruited, and enrolled by SJU and SJNY.” Court documents detail that SJU has students from New Jersey, Maryland, West Virginia, Fl...