Florida State University is joining 14 other universities in bringing a lawsuit against a Georgia firm. Ryan Benk reports FSU claims the company is violating their trademark rights.
The Georgia company Signature Designs originally held a license to use the FSU logo. But, after university officials found discrepancies in their financial reporting in 2008, they terminated their contract. A lawyer representing the universities, Charlie Henn, says his clients discovered the trademark infringement after an online investigation.
“Through routine investigations of the online marketplace, the collegiate licensing company became aware of certain products that had labels in them that said signature designs that looked like they featured university trademarks, including those of Florida State.”
Henn says the universities are in the process of seizing all counterfeit merchandise and that a hearing is scheduled for Friday, May 18th.