3/9/98

ATHENS, Ohio -- Snowstorms this week in the Midwest have caused a television crew from NBC's "The Today Show" to postpone visiting the Ohio University Athens campus to next week or after spring break, Vice President for University Relations Adrie Nab said Monday. The television crew plans to do a story on the trademark dispute between Ohio University and Ohio State University.

The segment is being produced by Mike Leonard, a prominent television journalist and independent producer for "The Today Show."

After rejecting a joint-use agreement proposed by Ohio University, Ohio State University on Dec. 16, 1997 filed a complaint with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel Ohio University's federal trademark of its historical shorthand name, "Ohio," which it has used for more than 100 years. That challenge prompted a legal response from Ohio University Feb. 17 stating it will defend its trademark.

A March 2 Sports Illustrated story on the "college name war" noted that Ohio University "has precedent on its side. Ohio U, founded in 1804, has been referred to as Ohio from the beginning. The Columbus school (established in 1870) was first known as Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College and recognized as Ohio State only after it was renamed as such in 1878."