High school logos

Mafiadawg

Redshirt
Nov 5, 2013
421
5
18
I was looking at the dandy dozen photo shoot and noticed that yazoo high uses the same logo as BYU. Does anyone know what has to happen for the high schools to use the same logos as college and pro teams?
A few of them are...
Gulfport = Georgia/grambling
Columbus= Falcons
Desoto central= michigan
MC= Clemson
Gautier= Florida.
I just assumed they had copyrights on these?
 

Wizard.sixpack

Freshman
Sep 15, 2009
6,511
58
48
I have wondered this being the logo fanatic that I am. I think they should all have their own original logos a la Choctaw Co and the awesome work that Chilly did with that logo package.
 
Dec 3, 2008
4,031
374
83
Most college and pro teams don't care if high schools are using their logo. The high schools aren't making any money off of it and it's basically free advertising for them. Here are some more I can think of in MS.

Water Valley-- West Virginia
Brookhaven High- Ole Miss
Hancock High- Philadelphia Eagles
Starkville Academy baseball hat logo-- Arizona State
Brookhaven Academy-- Kansas State
Wayne County- Auburn
Hattiesburg High- LSU
Purvis-- LSU
Starkville High- Georgia Tech
Desoto Central- Washington Nationals
 

dickiedawg

All-Conference
Feb 22, 2008
4,259
1,079
113
Someone said recently that SHS sends Georgia Tech $1/year for the rights to the yellowjacket logo.

I feel like most schools would have something similar worked out. Then again, someone here is bound to be more knowledgeable than I am.
 
Aug 24, 2012
176
0
0
I was looking at the dandy dozen photo shoot and noticed that yazoo high uses the same logo as BYU. Does anyone know what has to happen for the high schools to use the same logos as college and pro teams?
A few of them are...
Gulfport = Georgia/grambling
Columbus= Falcons
Desoto central= michigan
MC= Clemson
Gautier= Florida.
I just assumed they had copyrights on these?
Vicksburg High also used to ripoff Florida and now rips off LSU.
 

FlotownDawg

All-American
Aug 30, 2012
6,853
7,190
113
Lauderdale County High School in Rogersville, Alabama

Copies the Mississippi State logo that is in the middle of our basketball court. It says Lauderdale County instead of Mississippi State, but it is the same color and same font. Thought that was interesting and kind of random that a school in north Alabama would copy Mississippi State's logo.
 

8dog

All-American
Feb 23, 2008
14,025
5,929
113
This is often the case. Teams charge a nominal amount as a license fee. If they dont charge for a license they are not protecting their mark and risk being deemed to have forfeited trademark protection
 

esplanade91

Redshirt
Dec 9, 2010
5,656
0
0
I was looking at the dandy dozen photo shoot and noticed that yazoo high uses the same logo as BYU. Does anyone know what has to happen for the high schools to use the same logos as college and pro teams?
A few of them are...
Gulfport = Georgia/grambling
Columbus= Falcons
Desoto central= michigan
MC= Clemson
Gautier= Florida.
I just assumed they had copyrights on these?


Actually, Gulfport uses the Green Bay logo, and Gulfport's use predates Green Bay using their current logo... so Gulfport doesn't pay a dime. As ****** as Gulfport athletics have been outside of basketball (minus the last 20 years), Gulfport's athletic department is on their ****.

I always thought it was interesting that Harrison Central still uses the now outlawed Rebel logo.
 

Dawgzilla

Redshirt
Mar 3, 2008
5,406
0
0
Actually, Gulfport uses the Green Bay logo, and Gulfport's use predates Green Bay using their current logo... so Gulfport doesn't pay a dime. As ****** as Gulfport athletics have been outside of basketball (minus the last 20 years), Gulfport's athletic department is on their ****.

I always thought it was interesting that Harrison Central still uses the now outlawed Rebel logo.

Georgia uses the Green Bay logo also. Seriously. Vince Dooley re-designed the Georgia uniforms when he took over as head coach and he copied the Green Bay "G". Green Bay gave Dooley its blessing, and they may have lost the ability to really enforce their trademark rights against other college and high school teams.
 

jakldawg

Redshirt
May 1, 2006
4,374
0
36
A quick glance of the High School helmets cataloged here shows that re-appropriation of university and pro logos is pretty common everywhere (Tennessee- check out White Station, Ohio, Kentucky, etc.). They might get away with it from some sort of "fair use" arrangement since high schools are not-for-profit entities? Or maybe the NFL is too busy shaking down any business that hasn't paid for the rights to use the terms "Super Bowl" to notice yet?
 

Simmer

All-Conference
Jun 21, 2013
1,233
1,093
113
In Alabama:

Vestavia Hills in Birmingham uses OM's logo, name, and color.... it's awful
Mountain Brook = Michigan State
Homewood = New England Patriots
McAdory = Georgia Tech
Hewitt-Trussville = Washington Huskies (different color)
Spain Park = Jacksonville Jaguars (but with North Carolina Tar Heels' color)

Just to name a few here
 

Dawgzilla

Redshirt
Mar 3, 2008
5,406
0
0
Most college and pro teams don't care if high schools are using their logo. The high schools aren't making any money off of it and it's basically free advertising for them. Here are some more I can think of in MS.

Water Valley-- West Virginia
Brookhaven High- Ole Miss
Hancock High- Philadelphia Eagles
Starkville Academy baseball hat logo-- Arizona State
Brookhaven Academy-- Kansas State
Wayne County- Auburn
Hattiesburg High- LSU
Purvis-- LSU
Starkville High- Georgia Tech
Desoto Central- Washington Nationals

They have started caring quite a bit, because there is now big money to be made in logo sales, and policing unauthorized uses has become much easier. Also, for the majority of colleges that have signed on with Collegiate Licensing, there is an outside agency that will do all the policing for you.

If you knowingly allow other teams to use your logo, then you risk losing the right to enforce your trademark rights against unauthorized users. A nominal license seems like an easy enough solution, but there are a couple of problems. First, with any trademark license you have to retain the right of control in the quality of the goods produced. So, an NFL team would have to have a team of quality control experts out there monitoring the various pieces of crap that high schools like to adorn with their logos and possibly put a stop to the more ridiculous uses. Second, a really cheap license could be used as evidence that your trademark is not worth very much, or that the license is really just a sham. Lots of problems there.

If you notice, a lot of NFL teams have come out with new logos in the past few years, and they aren't licensing those logos to high school teams anymore. Several high school teams used to use the old Patriots logo of the dude hiking a football, but I don't see any using the new logo (and I'm still not really sure what that logo is).
 

mstateglfr

All-American
Feb 24, 2008
16,034
5,860
113
Most college and pro teams don't care if high schools are using their logo. The high schools aren't making any money off of it and it's basically free advertising for them. Here are some more I can think of in MS.

Water Valley-- West Virginia
Brookhaven High- Ole Miss
Hancock High- Philadelphia Eagles
Starkville Academy baseball hat logo-- Arizona State
Brookhaven Academy-- Kansas State
Wayne County- Auburn
Hattiesburg High- LSU
Purvis-- LSU
Starkville High- Georgia Tech
Desoto Central- Washington Nationals

A neighboring town to mine was threatened by the U of Wisconsin.
http://wcfcourier.com/news/breaking...cle_43bfc079-9989-5c97-ade1-72cfe32259b3.html

Maybe Wisconsin is an exception to the rule?
...or maybe universities want to protect the most visible way they are identified?
 

dickiedawg

All-Conference
Feb 22, 2008
4,259
1,079
113
In Mississippi there were about 116 helmets on that site that were pretty much direct ripoffs of a college/professional logo or helmet. That's not counting any solid color helmet.
 

Lawdawg.sixpack

All-Conference
Jul 22, 2012
5,335
1,150
113
Wisconsin sued a high school I went to- The Woodlands, TX (or at least sent a cease and desist and threat). Had to change from the Wisconsin W to a different W.

Cheeseheaded bastards.
 

BruceBruce

Redshirt
May 10, 2013
130
14
18
My high school used Penn State's lion head logo, and they made them stop using it a couple years back. I guess some colleges are much more strict than others about their trademarks.
 
Last edited:

esplanade91

Redshirt
Dec 9, 2010
5,656
0
0
My high school used Penn State's lion head logo, and they made them stop using it a couple years back. They even had to replace the turf at mid field that had the logo on it. I guess some colleges are much more strict than others about their trademarks.
ND sent St. Patrick's in Biloxi a letter disallowing them using the fight Irish logo a year after they opened. Because somehow a 1A school in southern Mississippi threatens the brand of Notre Dame.

I mean, I get it. There are ND fans in South Mississippi. That's essentially free merchandise.