The two BUs are at odds over the use of an interlocking BU logo design.
WACO, Texas — It’s BU vs. BU. Baylor University is taking Boston University to court over the use of a logo.
In a lawsuit filed in a Texas federal district court, Baylor is taking issue with Boston University’s use of an “interlocking BU design” that is nearly identical to the Waco university’s long-standing logo. The filing claims the Massachusetts college is infringing on Baylor’s federal trademark.
Baylor has used the same interlocking BU logo since at least 1912, according to the filing, and has multiple federal and state trademark registrations for it covering clothing, merchandise, and more.
Boston University has long used a logo with a side-by-side BU logo. The design sometimes consists of only the two letters, but often also features the university’s mascot, a Boston Terrier.
But in recent years, Boston University has adopted a logo that is strikingly similar to Baylor’s in all but color.
According to the filing, Baylor officials became aware that Boston University was selling three hats in 2018 using “an essentially identical and/or confusingly similar interlocking BU” design. The suit goes on to say that in December of 2021, Baylor objected to Boston’s use of the logo.
Boston University has expanded its use of the interlocking logo in the years since, featuring it on more merchandise and equipment for club sports such as cycling, sailing, rugby, and volleyball.
At the time of publishing, the first items featured on Boston University’s online spirit store are two caps featuring the logo at issue.
Baylor is asking the court to permanently bar Boston University from using the design and to order the Massachusetts school to destroy any goods, advertisements, or online content featuring the logo, as per the lawsuit. The filing is also seeking restitution for legal fees.
This isn’t the first time these universities have butted heads. In 1987, Baylor filed a trademark application for its interlocking design. The next year, both schools entered a coexistence agreement that allowed both schools to use the “BU” initials, but ensured their logos would remain different.
College programs are no strangers to logo disputes. Georgia’s iconic “G” logo is also used by Grambling State, and both are identical to the Green Bay Packers design. The University of Kentucky shares a similar lettering with the University of Houston.
Especially in the early days of college sports, some logos would be drawn by the same artists! Take the Missouri and Auburn logos in the image below. Both were created by the iconic artist Art Evans, whose style of cartoonish animal mascots in sailor hats was used by programs across the country.
