Three Little Letters
I was a student at the University of Iowa when I first learned that people who attend the Big Ten university in Columbus, Ohio had an image issue when it comes to identifying themselves. A professional friend was in school there, and insisted that in news articles, it be noted that he attended The Ohio State University, and not just Ohio State University.
We made fun of him, and for good reason. After all, I attended the University of Iowa, but we didn’t see a need for a stray capital T. But they did, and fervently.
So much so that recently they went to court to have capital-T-the trademarked as part of the school’s official name…and they won.
Granted, that’s only in the context of that particular school; you and I can still use the word “t-h-e” without fear of being charged royalty fees.
Odd as it may seem, it’s not unprecedented. The color pink is trademarked by Owens Corning for fiberglass insulation; you can still use the color pink for other things, but no other insulation maker can. That’s because the color became so closely identified with the brand.
Doesn’t always work; before he ran for president, Donald Trump tried to get the phrase “You’re Fired!” trademarked, since shirts and other items were popping up with the phrase and he wanted to control how it was used. The courts said if it was clear that the phrase was being used to convey Trump’s image, then it would be protected…but not otherwise. Of course, now he’s an all-purpose public figure, so that may not even be the case anymore.
Three little letters…but a lot of litigation. And a lot of attitude.
