USC Wins Battle Against USC

Quick. When you hear the name "SC", do you think of the University of South Carolina or the University of Southern California?

Chances are, if you live in the South, it's South Carolina, if you live west of the Mississippi it's Southern California, and if you live in the Midwest, it doesn't matter- it's either South Carolina or Southern Cal. (ugh)

But there's been a war of words going on in the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board since 2006, and it all came to a head with the "SC" in Los Angeles winning the trademark of "SC". USC 1, South Carolina 0.

The whole mess started in 2002 when South Carolina applied for a federal trademark to use the "SC" logo for baseball uniforms and clothing and USC challenged that application. South Carolina then filed a counterclaim to make USC's interlocking "SC" logo, which is federally registered, null and void.

Today, the Board ruled in favor of the USC Trojans, and the "SC" logo is now theirs.

Interestingly, while USC was established in 1880, the University of South Carolina was established in 1801- clearly, South Carolina has an almost eighty-year lead on the that other USC.

However, the success of the Trojans' athletic programs has clearly made the logo an issue of contention. The Trojans have always referred to themselves as "SC", and while the Gamecocks may have referred to themselves as "SC" as well, most sportswriters, voters and pollsters have used "SC" to describe the Trojans, not the Gamecocks.

Maybe if the Gamecocks had been more successful with their athletic programs, they would have had a stronger leg to stand on. But the Gamecocks have won six total National Championships compared to the Trojans' eighty-eight National Championships.

Moreover, the Gamecocks refer to themselves as "Carolina", and their main logo is a giant "C" with a fighting gamecock in the middle of it. Where does the "SC" logo come in?

Is the decision fair? Actually, it is a fair decision, even more if you are a Trojan fan.

To put it in perspective, if the University of North Dakota filed an application to use "ND" as their trademark on their school's uniforms, do you think another school might get upset? Uh, yeah.

"ND" is simply, more often than not, a common name for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and they have a right to protect a name or logo which is synonymous with their team's identity.

Great success can have a way of overruling anything else.  If your last name is Trump (no relation to the Donald) and you want to build a condominium complex, good luck in getting your name on the building. It's just the way the world rolls.

From now on, "SC" stands for the Trojans, not the Gamecocks. If you are still having problems distinguishing between the two teams, just remember, The SC is #2, while South Carolina is not in the top 25.

The smack has been started, and it's twenty days to football. The first televised game is South Carolina vs. NC State. Perfect.