The University of Illinois hit sports apparel company Vintage Brand LLC with a trademark infringement suit alleging the online retailer sells shirts and other merchandise bearing protected words and logos.
Vintage’s products violate the university’s “Fighting Illini” trademark and its “Chief” logo, according to the complaint filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
The company also infringes the university’s unique trade dress rights by selling products bearing lettering and colors that mimic those used by the school, the complaint alleges.
Vintage “purports to offer goods featuring ‘vintage’ sports branding reproduced from historic memorabilia,” the ...