Speaking of mascots - Illinois State Univ. bullies high school into dropping their mascot

[tornado]

ISU is bullying Pleasant Plains High School into dropping their Cardinals (Red Bird) mascot..at the threat of legal recourse..

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-pleasantplains-lo,0,6150281.story

Pleasant Plains is a high school of enrollment 461, just northwest of Springfield..
but...EIGHTEEN different high schools in Illinois use either a Cardinal or a Redbird as their mascot -- so is ISU gonna go after them all??

http://www.ihsa.org/school/nickname.htm

http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x703876908/Contest-to-pick-new-Pleasants-Plains-Cardinal-logo

http://www.ppcusd8.org/Documents/Letter%20on%20logo.pdf

[Double D]

I could understand it if they used the registered trademark that I believe ISU paid Jansport to create a few years back. However, if you look at the logo they aren't even close.

Pathetic. Talk about an easy way to make yourself look bad. Let well enough alone.

[Fetz86]

Idk, it does look pretty much exactly the same to me, just flipped.

[Double D]

My bad...the PP logo on shown in the article on the Pantagraph website doesn't look anything like ISU's logo. The SJR one is exact minus being flipped. I am surprised a uniform or helmet decal manufacturer would even reproduce the logo, making this a mute point.

I still wouldn't choose this story to be the one picked up by the Tribune.

[srw]

ISU is in the right here...You can't have a trademarked logo flipped like that.

who do we know that went to pleasant plains...someone from BU..maybe a pitcher or someone?

[ph]

It looks dumb and bad.

I think there are legal requirements on the use and enforcement of a logo that gives them better legal cases against a maker of fake ISU merchandise.

Not sure why ISU can't just work out a cheap licensing deal with the school and avoid this negative PR

[tornado]

ISU is in the right here...You can't have a trademarked logo flipped like that.

who do we know that went to pleasant plains...someone from BU..maybe a pitcher or someone?

BU had a walk on a few years ago Ryan Sunley from Pleasant Plains..
..also women's basketball player Alex Liberatore from a few years back was from there.
but out of good will ISU ought to just let it go...
I would have to ask are they losing any revenue from their logo marketing?? Likely not, and they might even be gaining attention if people have ISU come to mind when seeing the Plains logo..

[srw]

Ahh yes. both are correct.

I really enjoyed Libatore


I don't disagree...But what happens if suddenly 3 other schools adopted it, or say Ball State adopted it..

There is a precedent factor that would be used against ISU in that situation

[Disturbed]

I know for a fact that Illini Bluffs uses the same tiger logo as Missouri, only in orange instead of gold.

[cpacmel]

This is old news first of all.

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/article_560f7570-dadf-11df-974a-001cc4c002e0.html

Anyone know anything about trademark law?

If ISU doesn't actively try to protect their trademark, they lose their exclusive rights to it.

From a legal standpoint, ISU has to go after them.

[Braves2011]

I know for a fact that Illini Bluffs uses the same tiger logo as Missouri, only in orange instead of gold.

Having graduated from Illini Bluffs they used to use the missouri tiger logo but use the clemson logo more now. I know for a fact thats what they use for baseball hats now.

[tornado]

as disturbed said, many high school logos are nearly identical to other copyrighted logos, and the vast majority of cases are not legally pursued..

Just a very brief search shows a few to prove my point...

Here's the logo for Campbell High School in Georgia


even an imbecile can see where they ripped that logo off from...
Michigan State



Here's Center High School's logo (KS)

http://chs.centerisd.org/images/web_ready/rider_logo_purple.jpg

also pretty obvious where they got this one...



Likewise Brimfield's Indian is nearly identical to one Bradley used many years ago...

[tornado]

These guys in SC ought to give credit to Drake..

[cpacmel]

Maybe those schools don't have a trademark on their logos. Maybe they don't have the excusive rights to do.

ISU does.

ISU isn't going after every school that has a Cardinal or a Redbird either. Just one's that have the same logo that Illinois State designed and trademarked.

[Dallas Brave]

Likewise Brimfield's Indian is nearly identical to one Bradley used many years ago...

The IHSA hasn't found Brimfield to "hostile and abusive" like that vacuous bunch at the NCAA? Oh ... gotta go, Cam is calling.