A few years back, I walked into our stadium just in time to see a huge banner unfurled revealing our school's new logo--the Oakland Raider. The problem was that we already had a logo and it wasn't the Oakland's pirate. We also had invested years of effort building our brand.

As it turns out, our football coach had unilaterally decided that it was time for a change. Never mind that we had no permission to use the Raiders' logo. To make a long story short, we didn't change our logo and all it cost us was the price of the banner. However, today we have video posted everywhere on the Internet which may make "borrowing" or copying logos a much more expensive proposition.

The Washington Post reports  "high schools have for years copied the logos of big-time universities and professional teams, or turned to them for inspiration. But as those insignias have become more valuable, many campuses have become more vigilant in protecting them."

In order to avoid the embarrassment of receiving a cease-and-desist letter some high schools have voluntarily contacted the universities and joined a program that allows them to borrow a college logo without fear of trademark infringement by paying a $1 fee every two years.

Some "universities have been less willing to allow any use of their insignias. Wisconsin, Florida and Florida State, for example, have cracked down heavily in recent years on the borrowing of their logos, even if high schools have changed the colors."

The University of Wisconsin has asked nearly 40 schools in over two dozen states to stop using its logo and phase out its use on Web sites, uniforms and elsewhere. Since last fall, the University of Florida has asked two high schools in the state and at least one school in Mississippi to stop using the Gators logo and phase out its uses on uniforms and gym floors.

Increased exposure provided by the Internet and the "value of these trademarks is so high that these licenses and universities are making money from their marks."

The Bottom Line

School leaders would be wise to proactively look into the genesis of their school logo. Otherwise, it could turn out to be both embarrassing and expensive.