A media training company is changing its name after a row with the magazines’ trade body about the right to the title.
PMA Training claims the confusion between its name and that of the training part of the Periodical Publishers Association, called PPA Training, is leading to customers making bookings for the other company and cheques for one going to the other.
PMA Training said that efforts to resolve the situation with the PPA have been ‘met with a brick wall”. PMA Training chairman Keith Elliott said: ‘When we suggested to the PPA that this could be construed as passing off we were told: ‘Might is right,’and that its members could not possibly mix the two up.
‘It seems a very strange way to treat one of your own members, but to avoid a protracted legal battle with our own industry body, we have taken the easy way out.”
The company has now changed its name to PMA Media Training. Elliott, who is due to meet outgoing PPA chief executive Ian Locks this month to discuss the deadlock, also accused the trade body of barring his company from offering its own training courses towards PPA qualifications, when rival companies could.
PMA also claimed that while it had been in operation for 28 years, the PPA had only been offering training for ‘a couple of years”.
Nick Mazur, PPA deputy chief executive, said: ‘PPA was formed in 1913 and has had involvement in training for many years. PMA has on a number of occasions been invited to propose how it might be more fully involved in PPA’s diploma programme.
‘PPA commenced a consultation process with its members last summer which may involve changing its name to PPA Media. We look forward to meeting with PMA on 25 February to discuss these matters more fully and hear more about its concerns.”
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog