NASHVILLE, Tenn. ― That Lipscomb University sweatshirt or coffee mug with the interlocking “LU” logo has instantly become a limited-edition collector’s item.
Lipscomb officials are dropping the short-lived symbol after being pushed by Liberty University to stop using the marks. Both universities have used an interlocking L and U to promote their athletics departments.
Liberty, a Christian school in Virginia, federally registered the trademark a few years ago. That trademark covers the letters’ use in the context of higher education.
Several months ago, Liberty officials asked Lipscomb to stop using “LU” for marketing and commercial purposes.
David Corry, Liberty’s general counsel, said his university was open to a compromise that would have allowed Lipscomb to use the letters in some way, but Lipscomb officials decided to stop altogether.
“It was very cordial, and there was certainly no animus or ill feelings,” Corry said. Lipscomb’s vice president for communications, Deby Samuels, told The Tennessean the school started using the “LU” logo a few months ago.
“While it was one that we felt we had the right to use, when contacted by another school about the mark, we chose to simply return to using the word Lipscomb,” Samuels said.
