Scaringi Law is pleased to announce a significant victory for our client, the Gettysburg Area School District (GASD), in the Court of Common Pleas of Adams County. On October 27, 2026, Judge Christina M. Simpson overruled the preliminary objection of MyLocker.com, LLC d/b/a Spirit Shop challenging personal jurisdiction. The ruling allows GASD’s trademark infringement claims under Pennsylvania law to proceed in Pennsylvania against the Michigan-based online retailer.
Background
GASD owns registered Pennsylvania trademarks in the “Gettysburg Warriors” name and its distinctive arrowhead logo featuring a “G.” The District has an exclusive licensing agreement with a third party for authorized merchandise. MyLocker.com operates a nationwide e-commerce site selling school spirit apparel and goods. It maintained a dedicated Gettysburg Area High School storefront that used GASD’s trademarks on merchandise without a license.
After discovering the unauthorized use, GASD sent a cease-and-desist letter and then filed suit alleging statutory trademark infringement under 54 Pa. C.S. § 1101 and common-law trademark infringement. The defendant, a Michigan LLC with its address in Detroit, responded with preliminary objections asserting that the Adams County court lacked personal jurisdiction over it.
The Court’s Ruling
Judge Simpson first confirmed that general jurisdiction does not exist. The defendant is a Michigan entity with no headquarters, principal place of business, or consent to jurisdiction in Pennsylvania. The case therefore turned on specific personal jurisdiction under Pennsylvania’s long-arm statute, 42 Pa. C.S. § 5322, and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The court found that GASD had pled and established sufficient facts. Dr. Jeffrey Matzner, GASD’s superintendent, ordered a “Gettysburg Warriors” shirt through the defendant’s website and had it delivered to his office in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. That single completed transaction satisfied the long-arm statute’s provisions for doing an act in the Commonwealth for pecuniary benefit, shipping merchandise into the Commonwealth, and contracting to supply things in the Commonwealth.
Additional evidence strengthened the finding of purposeful availment. The defendant maintained a Pennsylvania-specific directory whose URL included “/pennsylvania/gettysburg/gettysburg-area-high-school.” The storefront prominently featured “Gettysburg Warriors,” “Gettysburg, Pennsylvania,” and invitations to “Shop Gettysburg Area High School Warriors gear now.” It listed GASD schools and other Adams County schools. The defendant acknowledged roughly $1,200 in sales from its Gettysburg directory. Viewed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, these facts showed that the defendant targeted customers connected to a Pennsylvania public school district—students, families, faculty, staff, and alumni—rather than operating a purely passive national marketplace.
The court also concluded that exercising jurisdiction would not offend traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice. Pennsylvania has a strong interest in protecting trademarks registered under its laws and owned by a Pennsylvania school district. GASD’s interest in convenient and effective relief under Pennsylvania law is clear. Any travel burden on the Michigan defendant is neutral in light of modern remote technology and is outweighed by the forum’s interests and the efficient resolution of a claim governed by Pennsylvania trademark law.
Why This Matters
This decision reinforces that out-of-state online sellers cannot freely use a Pennsylvania school district’s trademarks while avoiding Pennsylvania courts simply by describing their platform as “national.” When a retailer creates a targeted storefront for a specific Pennsylvania school, ships product into the Commonwealth, and generates sales from that audience, specific personal jurisdiction can be established.
For school districts and other trademark owners, the ruling underscores the importance of monitoring unauthorized online use of logos and names and of being prepared to litigate in Pennsylvania when the defendant has directed its activities here. For defendants, it illustrates the risks of geo-targeted or school-specific e-commerce directories even when the company itself is based elsewhere.
Marc A. Scaringi, Esq., and Scaringi Law are proud to represent the Gettysburg Area School District in protecting its intellectual property and the identity of its schools and athletic programs. The case continues on the merits.
Scaringi Law handles trademark, intellectual property, and complex commercial litigation for school districts, businesses, and individuals throughout Pennsylvania. For more information, contact our office in Harrisburg.