Quote:Let the battle of the OSUs begin.

In February, Ohio State University filed for apparel rights to “OSU” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The Columbus Dispatch, however, reports that Oklahoma State plans to file a notice of opposition to the request before the end of August.

The acronym has been shared among Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Oregon State on a national basis, and the schools have congruent usage agreements, according to Oklahoma State spokesman Gary Shutt. Yet each school has a federal trademark that awards it “OSU” rights on a state-by-state or county-by-county basis. Ohio State’s current trademark covers 19 states in the Midwest and on the East Coast, while Oklahoma State’s covers 17 western and southern states.

An existing trademark agreement for “OSU” usage — dating back to the 1970s — is already in place and applies to sports events and recreation programs, entertainment and education. The current issue focuses more on apparel.