Iowa State’s Trademarks and Licensing Office is considering legal action against members of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) from Topeka, Kan., who used signs printed with the ISU logo while picketing at ISU’s spring graduation ceremony.

A graphic containing the Cy logo and the message “ISU fags” also appears on the church’s Web site, located at www.godhatesfags.com.

ISU officials have not yet made a decision regarding the case, said Juanita Lovejoy, program coordinator of the Office of International Property and Technology Transfer.

Lovejoy said the university did send WBC a cease and desist letter.

Curt Lund, sophomore in art and design, said after ISU sent the letter, WBC took the graphic off its Web site.

However, three of the four fliers about the ISU picket schedule that appear on the site, dated April 7, April 15, April 24 and May 4, still contain the ISU logo.

Lovejoy said the Trademarks and Licensing Office takes action if someone uses the ISU logo illegally, which may include modifying the logo or using it as their own logo.

“We’ve never had to sue anyone,” Lovejoy said.

Sine Anahita, coordinator of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Student Services, said she saw the signs at graduation.

“The signs were about four-feet tall and three-feet wide, with a full-color picture of Cy on them,” Anahita said.

Kayt Sunwood, graduate student in curriculum and instruction, also saw the signs.

“It was shocking to me that they would use the ISU logo like that, both on their Web site and on the signs,” Sunwood said.

Anahita said Rev. Phelps of the WBC faxed a press release to ISU campus offices on April 15 or 16, announcing that his group would be protesting ISU’s graduation ceremonies.

The WBC picketed ISU mainly because the school has a gay and lesbian organization on campus, according to an article in Cityview. The church members also picketed at the Lord of Life Lutheran Church, where Steve Sabin is an openly-gay pastor, as well as several other churches in Ames.

“[Phelps] had the ISU logo right on the press release,” Anahita said. She said the Trademarks and Licensing Office received the fax along with the other university departments and thus was alerted of the potential copyright violation.

Anahita said two representatives of the Trademarks and Licensing Office attended an ad hoc committee meeting on April 17 that was called to talk about strategy for the upcoming WBC demonstration.

Lund said he is disappointed that the Trademarks and Licensing Office hasn’t yet taken legal action.

“We all appreciated their show of support [at the meeting], but I’m disappointed nothing has yet come of it,” Lund said.

Lund said he feels the university is hesitating to press charges because of the nature of the issue.

“Pressing charges against WBC … would be, in a way, standing up for the queer community here at ISU,” Lund said.

“I think if someone would have used the logo in any other way, in any other situation, the university would be all over them,” he said.

Sunwood said she is also in favor of punishing Phelps for his transgressions.

“I hope that they do take action against him, because I think it is an obvious misappropriation of our logo,” Sunwood said. “I can’t believe they thought they could get by with that,” she said.

A member of the WBC had no comment on the subject.

Lovejoy said several other logos that also appear on the WBC Web site, such as the Kansas City Royals, Barnes & Noble and Wichita State University, also may be in violation of copyright law.