January 25, 2010
Southern Cal beats up on South Carolina… in a trademark dispute
Those of you who know me know that I am a sports junkie. GO JETS – sorry, I had to find a way to subtly get that one in there. If you are reading this and thinking that you are about to hear me rant and rave about coaching changes or NCAA violations at Southern Cal, you are in for a surprise. This is a true intellectual property dispute between two schools with teams that I don’t particularly appreciate and with football coaches that are not on my top ten list (especially you Kiffin).
Anyway, the Trojans of Southern California have dealt a trademark blow to the South Carolina Gamecocks. This dispute revolves around the logos for each school and, more specifically, the logos that each school prints on their apparel. South Carolina appealed a decision from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board refusing to register the school’s logo and also refusing to cancel a Southern California trademark. The Federal Circuit upheld both decisions.
