In a recent hearing, an Illinois federal judge noted uncertainty over whether the University of Illinois surrendered its legal right to manipulate images of its former Native American mascot. Launched just last Friday, his ruling suggested that considerable questions still persist regarding the university’s practice of licensing the emblem since it was decommissioned in 2007.
The judge demurred from issuing a clear decision on the matter, citing the need for further examination of several significant queries still looming around the school’s handling of the logo. However, for now, no definitive judgment is made on the possible abandonment of legal rights over the mascot’s image by the University of Illinois.
As the deliberations continue in court, one aspect remains clear – the legacy of the retired mascot and its associated trademark are still a subject of fierce legal contention many years after it was officially removed as the university’s symbol.
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