Friday, May 28, 2004

What do we call UGAg now?

I mentioned earlier about UGAg severing ties with their powerful fundraising arm, the "University of Georgia Foundation". If things weren't weird enough, check this out. The Foundation is now claiming that they have ALL the rights to the name "University of Georgia".

UGA's already messy divorce from its fund-raising organization took a nasty, unexpected twist Thursday: It turns out that the university doesn't hold the trademark to its own name. Instead, in papers filed last year, the University of Georgia Foundation has declared itself the owner of all things labeled "University of Georgia."

In doing so, the nonprofit foundation asserted control over every commercial use of the university's name, from UGA-embossed coffee mugs to boxer shorts — to "education services, namely providing instruction at the college level," according to its trademark papers.
So what they heck do we call "them". Are they "that other state school". Well, let's be realistic - it was a gift to call them a "university" anyhow. Maybe it should be the "Athens Social Club". Maybe the "Red & Black Society". Of course, society is a really long word. Over at Stingtalk, Techfowl and GTg8r went the Prince route and came up with "the School Formerly Known as UGA", or maybe just use a symbol

Ok, I'm being hard on them, but that's what we do. I cannot help but derive a certain amount of pleasure out of this.