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U of Georgia to lose name?

Friday, May 28, 2004

After 219 years, the University of Georgia could become the school with no name.

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 moniker, from UGA-embossed coffee mugs to boxer shorts — to "education services, namely providing instruction at the college level," according to its trademark papers.

It's not clear how the trademark filing will affect a yearlong dispute over attempts by some foundation trustees to oust UGA President Michael Adams. But the name issue puts a new spin on the state Board of Regents' decision Tuesday to end UGA's 67-year relationship with the foundation.

On Wednesday, regents' leaders said that if the foundation remained in business, it could no longer operate with the university's imprimatur. State officials described UGA's name as the regents' "intellectual property."

But, at least in theory, the foundation could try to force the University of Georgia, founded in 1785, to stop calling itself the University of Georgia.