The US DETC? This seems very deceiving

Thought I would share this site as this may have been brought up here already, but it is definitely deceiving.

http://www.usdetc.org/accredited_schools.htm

The United States Distance Education Training Council ( Not the actual and accredited by CHEA DETC )

Does anyone know much about this claimed accreditor?

 

Hi JNelson467,

A big clue to the legitimacy of this organization might be found in the very first line of the page you linked to:

"The United States Distance Education & Training Association (U.S.D.E.T.C.) accredits distance education & extension programs offered in the United States by selected Colleges & Universities."

They can't even get their own name straight.

I also love their Legal Notice page...

"Any Similarities between the USDETC website & the DETC website are merely coincidental."

Yeah right! Nudge, nudge, wink, wink!

 

They are a scam. Stay away. They employ a degree mill strategy of using a name that sound similar to a legitimate agency for the purpose of confusing people. They even list the names of legit institutions on their web site to convince people they are a legitimate accreditor.

If they aren't approved by the U.S. Dept. of Ed., they can't accredit anything.

 

Shouldnt this be illegal? My added concern is that the logo even states Distance Education & training Council.

I know McDonalds or some fortune 500 company would send this into court in a drop of a hat. This is just surprising.

Also, their is a Windsor University in England ( or at least saying they are) that claims this accreditation.

What is next? Maybe the United States North Central Association. We'll see I presume.

 

Gotta find 'em to sue 'em.

Illegal? Perhaps. So what? So's the degree mill that created them. Good luck finding them, too.

There have been other claimed accreditations from fictitious organizations that use similar-sounding names. This is an old and static issue.

 

ring ring... boing!

So who claims to be yowied by the USDETC? (The USDETC list is loaded with schools that certainly don't know they are huzzawed by USDETC.)

Look for the USDETC contact phone number, to see what's under that particular rock:

"Windsor University - London, England (UK)" The Quickest Way to Earn the Job Raise or Promotion You Deserve. This over-ripe cheeseball advertizes in a Toronto online ad page.

Google hits to "United States Distance Education & Training Council" mostly return sites that hold ads for and lists of fake higher education links, rather than the sites of the goatbags themselves.

The USDECT domain registration is this:

IP 207.36.55.209 (Florida)

Domain Name:USDETC.ORG
Created On:02-May-2002 17:08:57 UTC
Last Updated On:22-Apr-2005 00:26:32 UTC
Expiration Date:02-May-2006 17:08:57 UTC

Registrant Name:USDETC
Registrant Street1:251 Jeanell Drive Suite 3
Registrant City:CARSON CITY
Registrant State/Province:NV
Registrant Postal Code:89703
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.87724255
Registrant Email:[email protected]

 

Intellectual property

The test, if I understand it correctly, is whether the acronym/name/logo/trademark is deceptively similar to the real thing. That's a fact question; I should think that it would be but who can say?

 

What's really deceptive is how they list regionally and nationally accredited colleges saying other schools accept their credits with the implication US DETC is the accrediting body of these schools!

 

The DETC (detc.org) is aware of above-noted organization and is reviewing its available options such as a cease and desist.

 

Re: ring ring... boing!

The DETC tells me that this is a "virtual" organization. As such, it can be very difficult to determine "jurisdiction" in a legal proceeding.

 

Re: Intellectual property

In its simplest form, I believe your test is correct.

Is the name similar? Is the name deceptive? Does the name cause confusion to the public? I submit that it does on all three levels. As one previous poster noted, if it were the McDonalds name at stake...all hell would break loose and lawsuits would be flying left and right.

 

worthingco: "...if it were the McDonalds name at stake...all hell would break loose..."

John:
Do you suppose this distinguished professor might be in trouble:

"The Money Authority of Singapore sponsored a Public Lecture on 31 October 2003, which featured Professor Ronald McDonald, Professor of International Finance at the University of Strathclyde."
(http://www.mas.gov.sg/masmcm/bin/pt1MAS_sponsored_Public_Lecture.htm)

John Bear
who, when injured in an accident in Mallaig, in the Scottish Highlands, in 1992, learned that the only doctor for miles around was named Donald Duck
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4105265.stm)