Trojans Strip Gamecocks of "SC" mark

[reedpm]

Wonder if Southern Cal will weigh in on this...

Was this intended as a South Carolina rip-off?

[KCScout76]

No, I'm sorry, but I think you're completely wrong.

I disagree, the point of the arguement is the use of letters, whether they are interlocking or not. The nike symbol was borrowed, that I understand, but the letters are not "exactly" the same. What's on the line here is the all mighty dollar - I just think it's petty.

My opinion - however I am not completely wrong, just about 12 degrees wrong.

The business of bigtime college is getting out of control.

[Gothamite]

The letters don't have to be "exactly" the same. That's not the way the law works.

I was responding to your post:

With all the things going on, they are fighting over the right to use "letters." Alpha-letters that neither school (or personnel) invented or created.

which is clever hyperbole, but isn't actually the case.

And I'm not talking about any of the Nike trademarks (which the company owns outright), I'm talking about the letters N, I, K, and E, not to mention the name "Nike" itself.

The Beaverton folks didn't "invent or create" either, but nobody's making the argument that you or I have the right to put that name on a piece of athletic wear.

To borrow a notion from screenwriting, ideas can't be copyrighted. Only the expression of them can be. In this case, the case is not about the use of either "S" or "C", but interlocking them on cardinal for a baseball team. Similarly (and I've used this example before), I can write a screenplay about doomed love on the Titanic as much as I like, as long as I don't write a screenplay about doomed love on the Titanic between a poor Wisconsin artist and a rich girl with a brutish finance and a penchant for fooling around in cars and Celine Dion.

[-kj]

Fooling around in Celine Dion?

[leopard88]

Fooling around in Celine Dion?

Thanks. And right after I finished lunch.

[leggman01]

The letters don't have to be "exactly" the same. That's not the way the law works....To borrow a notion from screenwriting, ideas can't be copyrighted. Only the expression of them can be. In this case, the case is not about the use of either "S" or "C", but interlocking them on cardinal for a baseball team.

but aren't these logo's "expressed" in a very different way? i'm pretty sure southern cal can't trademark the color cardinal or the letters "s" and "c"...doesn't it come down to the ability to clearly discern one from the other? (i'm legitimately asking, because i don't know) - if that's the case, you'd have to be blind to be unable realize the difference between the two marks, and even then, you would probably be able to feel the difference between the two...they share nothing in common other than the cardinal color of the cap (and this is probably more a matter of available colors provided by the cap manufacturer, as the official PMS designations for the schools are different) and the fact that the letters are "s" and "c"...even the way they are "interlocked" is completely different

[Gothamite]

...doesn't it come down to the ability to clearly discern one from the other? (i'm legitimately asking, because i don't know)

Not really, not according to the ruling.

And FWIW, I wouldn't exactly say that they interlock in a "completely different" way. The style of letters is the same, but both feature an "S" touching the "C" at the ends of the middle of the "S" curve.

[Cujo]

Why can the Cinncinatti Reds and Chicago Bears use the same logo then?

Yeah, as Discrimihater demonstrated, there is a clear difference between the Bears' "C" and the one used by the Reds.

However, why hasn't the University of Georgia (and Grambling State for that matter) broken away from using the Green Bay "G" by now? It's pretty much a trademark of the Packers, and it's not like fans down south would throw a major fit if the Dawgs went with something a little more original, would they?...

Don't know. Grambling has talked about moving away from the Packers' "G" for years in favor of their own identity, but hasn't actually done it.

Yeah, it would be nice to see those schools move away from using a logo that is so iconic to Green Bay and the NFL.

I've always been curious if there is some sort of contract or agreement between the Packers and the UGA -- Anyone know?

[Gothamite]

Yes, there is. Georgia uses the Packers' logo under "limited permission" granted by the Packers.

I don't know exactly what the agreement is, but there is one.

[BBTV]

Wonder if Southern Cal will weigh in on this...

Was this intended as a South Carolina rip-off?

What is that from? That looks great.

[Drew22]

Wonder if Southern Cal will weigh in on this...

Pic removed.

Was this intended as a South Carolina rip-off?

What is that from? That looks great.

Colorado Sky Sox?

[leggman01]

And FWIW, I wouldn't exactly say that they interlock in a "completely different" way. The style of letters is the same, but both feature an "S" touching the "C" at the ends of the middle of the "S" curve.

they are very different to my eye...the south carolina "sc" clearly has a "c" which changes planes, going from in front of the "s" to behind it and then back in front of it again...truly interlocking - the southern cal "sc" (from their actual baseball cap, not the one in the original image) maintains a single, flat plane and it looks as though the letters simply blend together in the spots where they touch...but that may simply be the way my eye sees them

from this ruling, do you think there would be issues with trademark infringement if south carolina decided to use the same interlocking "sc" on a black cap or a white cap? if it's not about the letters, but the application or expression of the letters, then it seems that south carolina could simply go this route if they wanted to obtain a trademark, no?

[KCScout76]

Gothamite,

I see and understand what your are saying, you'll here no quarrels from me. I was being "dramatic" with the fact, of all things that are going on and what they should be doing, they are worried about two letters and who else is "stealing from them". Wisconsin did the same thing with their motion "w". They are getting too petty, but that's another discussion, however not for today.

I hope I wasn't coming across as rude - just irks me to see things like that in our Society, when their are other issues or business to address/need attending to.

[Gothamite]

Gothamite,

I see and understand what your are saying, you'll here no quarrels from me. I was being "dramatic" with the fact, of all things that are going on and what they should be doing, they are worried about two letters and who else is "stealing from them". Wisconsin did the same thing with their motion "w". They are getting too petty, but that's another discussion, however not for today.

I hope I wasn't coming across as rude - just irks me to see things like that in our Society, when their are other issues or business to address/need attending to.

I didn't think you were being rude. But we can't expect the Universities of Wisconsin and/or Southern California to do something about our stagnant economy, weak dollar, or homelessness. They can only be responsible for taking care of their own business, and protecting their intellectual property whenever and wherever it is threatened is high on that list.

I wasn't going to bring up Wisconsin, since we've talked about that at length elsewhere, but they are legally required to protect their trademark. Frankly, I wish they wouldn't, just because I've always hated it. Far from being "too petty", they are simply being responsible.

[EatSleepJeep]

Do these two schools have an agreement?

[1991]

that is a exact copy of what the springfield (mo) catholic "fighting irish" baseball team wears.

[TrueYankee26]

It does look similar to the USC helmet

[leggman01]

It does look similar to the USC helmet

really?

[TrueYankee26]

It does look similar to the USC helmet

really?

Yes.

[hawk36]

It does look similar to the USC helmet

really?

Maybe it's because I do this professionally (design) but I don't see any way that the Trojan helmet SC and the South Carolina hat SC are even remotely close. In fact, I'd bet that 9 out of 10 people off the street wouldn't even come close to thinking these were the same school. I could understand if South Carolina did an identical block SC in red and black but this is just so far from being the same I can't believe that it's being discussed.

In addition, I have never seen the old style lettering of the South Carolina hat used for anything Southern Cal. SoCal is block letters pure and simple.