Thursday, November 24, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- An Ohio man who faced a $9,000 penalty for trademark infringement for selling six cartoon decals of a boy in an Indiana University cap urinating on the Duke Blue Devil mascot has settled the case with the school.
Kevin Hughes of Norwich, about 60 miles east of Columbus, said by e-mail that he was not allowed to talk about the specifics of the settlement, but he was happy the issue was resolved.
"Never again!" he wrote last week. "It's like a dark cloud is lifted!"
Mark Long, president of IU Research & amp; Technology Corp., confirmed the dispute had been settled.
"He sent us a letter of apology, and we settled it for far less than the original complaint," Long said Tuesday.
Hughes made a profit of $36 for selling the decals on eBay.
Hughes previously acknowledged he was aware the IU logo was trademarked, but he assumed that if he got caught he would only receive a "cease and desist" letter.
He did receive such a letter from IU's Research & amp; Technology Corp., which manages the school's trademarks, and he stopped selling the decals.
But a few months later, another letter arrived, demanding more than $3,000 in damages. Hughes ignored it, and later letters told him the case was going to court.
He received another letter this month, saying he now owes more than $9,000 and a lien could be put on his property as a result of a court judgment.