Oklahoma reps claim the school's block "O" has been in commercial use since '01GETTY IMAGES
Ohio State has "filed an action" with the USPTO's Trademark Trial & Appeal Board against the Univ. of Oklahoma over use of the block "O," according to Joe Mussatto of the OKLAHOMAN. Ohio State "uses the block 'O' as its primary logo, and the school extensively outlines the history of its use in the action." The OU Board of Regents "filed a trademark application for the mark" in December '17. OU claims its block "O" has been in "commercial use" since '01. The mark is "most noticeable to Sooner fans as the logo on the chest of the drum major" (NEWSOK.com, 9/5). In Dayton, Max Filby notes Ohio State claims to have used the block "O" since 1898 on "athletic uniforms and other promotional material." The school "first registered a trademark for a version of its block 'O' in 1997, then another version in 2003 and a third in 2013." Ohio State last year settled a dispute with Oklahoma State over the OSU abbreviation, with the schools agreeing to "use the acronym so long as it's not combined with the opposing school's mascot" (DAYTON DAILY NEWS, 9/6).
