There are only so many different color patterns and drawing combinations that can make up team logos and designs. Whether it be a Bronco, an Eagle or even a Cougar.
That's exactly what happened to the Christoval Cougars.
Christoval Independent School District Athletic Director Scott Richardson learned this the hard way.
“We were contacted by IMG who represents the University of Cincinnati back in 2017 and we were basically told that we were in violation of copyright laws in terms of what they claim to be their logo," Richardson said.
IMG is the third-party entity that creates all trademarked Division I logos for the NCAA.
A college or university has full rights to their logo as long as it is trademarked. The University of Cincinnati Bearcats own the rights to the infamous "C" with four claw marks piercing through the top. The solution was rather straight-forward, according to the university's Director of Trademarks and Licensing, Martin Ludwig.
“We will try to work with them so that we don’t hurt them. We’re definitely not trying to do that, but we have a responsibility to protect our brand and to stop others from using it,” Ludwig said.
In the end, Christoval High School is in the process of re-branding its entire building, which Richardson believes all worked.
“This was a great opportunity to really take a look at our overall brand and being a school that is over 100 years old, and with a lot of Cougars out there, the goal was to make a specific cougar that will be our Cougar. We had a community committee on it and a board of parents and administrators, and now we have this brand and a Cougar that is now our Cougar.”