Back from a week's vacation at Tahoe, and I have an interesting piece of information concerning our friendly rival in Tucson. The University of Arizona has threatened to sue little ol' Acalanes High School for trademark infringement.
My next door neighbor is a tennis coach at Acalanes, which has (for years) used a block "A" logo that is very similar to the block "A" logo employed by the Wildcats. Although Acalanes High School has been around for quite awhile (Norm Van Brocklin is an alum, fer Chrissake), the University of Arizona has been around longer. The Wildcats have apparently gotten as serious as a heart attack about their trademark protection so, according to my neighbor, they sent the Acalanes principal a "cease and desist" letter.
I'm not a trademark lawyer, but I have some doubt as to whether the Wildcats would win such a lawsuit. No doubt they have used the block "A" longer, but the likelihood of confusion between an Arizona university and a Nor-Cal high school seems small to me. Whatever the case, Acalanes has no stomach for defending a trademark lawsuit, and has apparently agreed to adopt a new style of "A." I didn't really dislike Arizona that much prior to this, but the heavy handed tactics are making me reconsider.
My next door neighbor is a tennis coach at Acalanes, which has (for years) used a block "A" logo that is very similar to the block "A" logo employed by the Wildcats. Although Acalanes High School has been around for quite awhile (Norm Van Brocklin is an alum, fer Chrissake), the University of Arizona has been around longer. The Wildcats have apparently gotten as serious as a heart attack about their trademark protection so, according to my neighbor, they sent the Acalanes principal a "cease and desist" letter.
I'm not a trademark lawyer, but I have some doubt as to whether the Wildcats would win such a lawsuit. No doubt they have used the block "A" longer, but the likelihood of confusion between an Arizona university and a Nor-Cal high school seems small to me. Whatever the case, Acalanes has no stomach for defending a trademark lawsuit, and has apparently agreed to adopt a new style of "A." I didn't really dislike Arizona that much prior to this, but the heavy handed tactics are making me reconsider.
