Wait a minute. Master Baiter is right. IP is Internet Protocol... UT is entitled to protect its Internet Protocol. The entire 128.*.*.* range is protected.
The Aggie one is basically the same except with the Longhorn Logo with the horns sawed off and turned upside down. Someone started this: http://www.rivalwear.com/index.asp With shirts making fun of A&M and OU.
A Nebraska fan asked me once why when they went to see the Aggies play Nebraska, that the Aggies kept chanting about the Longhorns when they were playing NEBRASKA! Also the TU thing is dumb cause what if the Aggies played Tulane? that's TU, Tulane University.
The whole Aggie insecurity annoys the hell out of me. Shirts, slogans, car vandalizing, even their school song - a few lines in their song is about UT! Get over it!
That McCombs thing ain't nothing. The Longhorn logo is owned by UT Athletics, who a few years ago made the Daily Texan stop using the symbol on their newspaper dispensers. Yeah, the Athletic Dept. wouldn't let the STUDENT NEWSPAPER use the logo. How lame is that!
i know just enough IP law to be dangerous. but my understanding is, if you don't protect the mark EVERYWHERE you start to lose the right to protect it ANYWHERE.
I own that shirt. Oh man, it's awesome. Everytime I wear it to school, mall, and etc....there are always people (even ones with no affliation with A&M or UT) busting out in laughter. It's great.
Yeah, this is the quote that makes this whole thing sketchy on UT's part. They don't do anything for 9 years and then BAM! They lose to A&M and days later they sue some guy who's not affiliated with the University. Isn't satire protected? I could swear there was a case a year or two ago that got thrown out because it was obvious satire. I don't remember exactly what it was though. The guy is obviously not trying to market these as UT shirts. When I was at Texas State, a lot of people were upset at the students who wore UT gear on campus. Some started selling T-shirts with a shooting target over the Longhorn outlline. They might have used the phrase "Saw 'em off" as well. My point is, they can shut this guy down but others will still sell these kind of shirts even if they're not exactly the same.
I actually heard about the logo being owned by athletics when I was on campus many years ago. Student organizations were pissed. I think you have to go through Collegiate Licensing Company to get permission.
UT as a whole is a little over-protective of its logo. I used to be involved in tons of student organizations and to make club shirts and what not involves a TON of paperwork to get the logo. Not only the logo itself is copyrighted, but also the burnt orange color, the FONT they use for "TEXAS" and the words "The University of Texas at Austin". College department shirts have all this but they pay or got permission to make them. There are a few student run organizations that are allowed to have the colors, logo and the words "TEXAS" on their shirts, but they are sponsored through UT recreational sports or spirit organizations. Texas Cycling and the Texas Ultimate team get the colors and logos, but your standard juggling club and cultural org. is out. Remember a few years ago that restauarant up on I-35 named Bevo's? Yeah it was a mom & pop restauarant that was forced to change their name and take out their longhorn neon sign. Bevo is trademarked as well.
