Gamecocks lose in court over ‘SC’ logo rights

The University of Southern California has won a lawsuit against the University of South Carolina over the rights to use the “SC” logo.

The administrative tribunal of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has ruled that the local USC has priority of use when it comes to the “SC” logo, including the interlocking version. The battle between the USCs has been quietly raging since 2002, when USC challenged South Carolina’s application to federally register a version of the “SC” trademark for use on clothing and baseball uniforms. South Carolina fired back with a counterclaim to cancel USC’s federal trademark registration for its interlocking “SC” logo. Proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board began in 2006. On Friday, the board issued a 93-page order in favor of L.A.’s USC. [LA Times] {h/t: palmettoscoop}