Tough luck for the men living in Norman House of Helser Hall — a new Cy logo will not be joining their team, the Norman Knights.

Norman House ran into problems with trademark infringement while designing a new house sign. The Cy-in-knight’s-armor logo was designed by Cory Lubbert, a sophomore in management and information systems, last spring.

“I designed the sign last year not knowing there was a trademark on the new Cy logo, and we submitted it at the end of the year,” Lubbert said.

Uses of university logos must go through an approval process at the Office of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer. Norman House’s logo was not approved.

Helser Hall Director Kerry Ellis-Besancon recently informed the residents that they would need to come up with a new idea. Ellis-Besancon refused to comment on the issue except to say she has “no influence on the copyright laws that the university has on CY.”

The president of the Norman House, junior statistics major Joe Walters, said the idea behind the sign was to use the new Cy logo and adorn it in knight’s armor holding a sword. Residents wanted to incorporate the logo with the floor’s identity — the Norman Knights.

Lubbert said he does not understand why the university doesn’t allow students to use their school mascot. “It’s stupid. It’s for our own school use. It’s a sign for our school. There shouldn’t be a problem with it,” Lubbert said.

Juanita Lovejoy, assistant director of the Office of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer, has a different view.

“We don’t want the image [Cy] to be altered. This isn’t only in compliance with trademark laws, but it is a matter of being consistent with our image and our marks,” Lovejoy said.

“If the images are altered, we would end up with so many marks that they eventually wouldn’t be recognized by the university,” she added.

“We want students to use their mark [Cy]. We encourage it. If they want artwork, just call.”

But some students say the modified logo is harmless.

“I think the Cy in armor idea is great; it’s very reasonable,” said Marisa LaMarca, a sophomore in landscape architecture. “However, this is probably an issue that students just don’t realize the complexity of. The university undoubtedly has an obligation to protect the image it portrays.”

Lovejoy said it’s not just an issue about the use of Cy. It also has to do with the university losing its rights to the trademark, she said. “We don’t want to lose our exclusive rights to our marks. By not allowing alterations and by being consistent with the image we give with the marks, we can protect our rights.”

Journalism Professor Kim Smith said the issue is a good one for students to learn from. “Students, like everyone else, need to follow the legal parameters in using trademarks,” he said.

The university does permit use of the old Cy design in any manner. Cy was made over during an athletic identity program that wrapped up two years ago.

Information on the trademark policies is available from the Office of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer and on the World Wide Web.