The Philly Wine School Lawsuit: We Won the First Major Ruling!

A federal judge has rejected an emergency bid to stop the Wine School of Philadelphia from using the name “Philly Wine School.” Here’s the full story.

We’ve been pushing back against British claims since 1776. Some things don’t change.

Yesterday, a federal judge denied an emergency court order that would have forced the Wine School of Philadelphia to stop using the name “Philly Wine School” — a name Philadelphians have used for us since at least 2005. Judge Joshua D. Wolson of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued the ruling, denying a motion for preliminary injunction filed by PhillyWine LLC, a local provider of courses licensed by the British-based Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET).

The dispute centers on the name “Philly Wine School.” A local competitor, PhillyWine LLC, asked the court to issue an emergency injunction to stop us from using that name. The court just denied that request.

I need to be careful about what I say, as the case is not over. That said, this ruling is very significant and a reason to celebrate, and the larger Philadelphia wine community deserves to understand what just happened.

The Short “Philly Wine School” Version

For years, students, media, and members of the public have referred to the Wine School of Philadelphia as “Philly Wine School.” That is not a new identity. It is not something we invented last week. It is a public-facing name that has been attached to our school for a long time.

The court found that media coverage referred to the Wine School of Philadelphia as “Philly Wine School” as early as 2005, and that the phrase continued to appear over time in articles, reviews, and event descriptions.

By contrast, PhillyWine LLC and its predecessor operated for most of their history under other names, including “Neal Ewing Wine Services.” PhillyWine LLC admitted in court filings that it “did not regularly use ‘Philly Wine School.'” Judge Wolson described that concession as difficult to reconcile with PhillyWine LLC’s claim of longstanding market recognition in the name.

That is the heart of the ruling. The court found that PhillyWine LLC had not shown it was likely to succeed on its claim to “Philly Wine School.” At best, the court found, PhillyWine LLC had shown sporadic use until the last couple of years, while the Wine School of Philadelphia had used the phrase for nearly a decade in its own materials and had been associated with it in the broader marketplace for nearly 20 years.

That is a major ruling for us.

This Is Bigger Than our Trademark

This case is about identity, history, and the right of an independent Philadelphia school to continue using a name by which students and the public have known it for years.

I founded the Wine School of Philadelphia in 2001. For the past decade, the school has operated from its home at 109 South 22nd Street. The school offers everything from fun evening classes to serious multi-year courses. Recently, we have been named one of the top trade schools by the Philadelphia Inquirer. Most importantly, we are and have always been independent.

That last point matters more than it might appear.

PhillyWine LLC is tied to the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) system:  a British credentialing framework administered through local providers across the USA. From the beginning, we chose to build our own wine courses and develop a curriculum for American wine professionals and wine lovers; we opted to build our own community within the city we love. We are not a satellite of a British system. We are Philly’s wine school. 

There is room in the market for different approaches to wine education. Students should be able to choose between them. What should not happen is a WSET-affiliated provider resorting to emergency litigation to stop an independent school from using a name the public has long associated with it.

This ruling protects that principle. And in a year when Philadelphia marks 250 years of American independence from Britain, this feels right. 

The @PhillyWineSchool Instagram

Part of the dispute involved PhillyWine LLC’s use of the Instagram handle @phillywineschool. After our federal trademark registration was issued in December 2025, we submitted complaints with several platforms — including Instagram, Google, and Squarespace — asserting our rights to the name.

PhillyWine LLC argued that those actions showed bad faith on our part.

The court did not accept that framing. Judge Wolson characterized our conduct as an effort “to assert and resolve competing claims rather than to create confusion.” The court also noted that I had offered to help restore PhillyWine LLC’s Instagram account if it stopped using the disputed handle: evidence the court cited as consistent with an effort to resolve competing claims rather than create confusion.

That distinction matters. This was not about erasing a competitor. It was about defending a name the public has long associated with us.

A Hard Few Months

The past few months have not been easy. They utterly and truly sucked. 

A federal lawsuit is a serious thing for a founder-run school. It takes vast quantities of time, money, attention, and emotional energy, sucking it away from the work that matters most to me: teaching students, building wine programs, and keeping our amazing community alive. 

There will be a time when I can speak more freely about what has been going on. Until then, I will simply say this: the past few months reminded us who our real community is. And that there are angels among us. 

Our Sommelier students kept showing up. Members kept showing up for events. People kept signing up for wine classes. People kept praising our work, both in person and online. They defended us when we had to be silent.

Our community kept reminding me that the Wine School is not just a business. It is a place, a community, and a school with a history worth defending.

For that, I am deeply grateful.

The Fight Against The Tories Continues

The court has rejected the emergency attempt to stop us from using “Philly Wine School.” We feel vindicated, but this is one ruling in an ongoing case. We will continue to defend ourselves carefully, factually, and responsibly. We will also continue to do what we have always done: run wine classes.

We are still here. We are still teaching. We are still your Philly Wine School.

See you in class.

Keith Wallace
Founder, Wine School of Philadelphia
aka Philly Wine School

Case: PhillyWine LLC v. KSWCO LLC et al., No. 2:26-cv-01268, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Opinion issued May 26, 2026. Click here to read the Court Opinion