LSU Claims "Honey Badger" Is Likeness For Tyrann Mathieu
by Dave Clark on Dec 9, 2011 11:01 AM PST
in Life in the Sound
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PrintAnyone that wants proof about the arrogance combined with corporatism of NCAA need look no further than the recent claim by the LSU Tigers that "'Honey Badger' is considered a likeness of Tyrann Mathieu under NCAA regulations." Which is odd, because it's a meme people, you can't really own that (I'm not a legal expert, but that seems logical), and well Osvaldo Alonso got the nickname first, by a couple of days. Tyrann Mathieu as the honey badger first appears on April 1st (ha!), Alonso first appears on March 29th.
Sure the NCAA and LSU may have a claim when the colors and numbers and nickname are used. But to appropriate the entire 'athlete as honey badger' thing is just absurd. To quote the first story again;
Tiger District CEO Jared Loftus, who makes Honey Badger T-shirts, has not gotten a letter from the school, and he said, "This Honey Badger thing is bigger than LSU. In Baton Rouge, people associate it with Tyrann Mathieu, but if you ask people around the country about the Honey Badger, they're going to say, 'Yeah, I saw that video, it's hilarious'"
Get with it LSU, you have some great fans, quit trying to force them into your little pigeonholes. Let them have some fun. Having an Internet meme adapted to your team is an honor - go with it.
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don't you know?
It’s all about protecting the student-athletes and the sanctity of amateur athletics
...and you will hear us scream
by malcontentjake on Dec 9, 2011 11:18 AM PST reply actions 4 recs
I really wasn't that interested before
but now I definitely have a reason to root against LSU when they play Alabama in January.
despising Portscum since 1975.
'Bama fans are some of the most insufferable people I've ever met
I would never ever cheer for ‘Bama if my life depended on it, and living in Alabama I’m surrounded by them… * shudders *
I'm with you
I don’t like Nick Saban. I love seeing Nick Saban lose. When these two teams squared off earlier this year, to see Nick Saban lose a game where his kickers missed 3 field goals and had another blocked was glorious.
Recessionproof since 2009.
by 253Sounder on Dec 9, 2011 2:15 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
No claim
The Honey Badger is Alonso, if Mathieu wants to clean Ozzie’s jock, that is fine, he can do that, but it doesn’t make him The Honey Badger.
That would be the Highlander not the Honey Badger.
Nos audietis in somniis, Nos audietis in altum: You will hear us!
by chrisso on Dec 9, 2011 2:40 PM PST up reply actions 3 recs
Because God knows it's completely unethical
to ever profit off of “amateur” “student-athletes,” especially the athlete’s themselves…
-Ben R.
#SeattleinventedTheHoneyBadger
Go banana!
by Disco_Stew on Dec 9, 2011 12:26 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Even if Mathieu HAD been first (which he wasn't)...
Alonzo don’t care…he don’t give a @#$%….he just takes what he wants.
BUT NOTHING IN THE WORLD MATTERS EXCEPT SEC FOOTBALL!!!!
You do all the work for us, Honey Badger, and we'll just eat whatever you find.
Texas A&M tried to pull this crap
with “12th Man” awhile back. Bah. Let them think they own it, they don’t have much else going for them.
Way to completely miss the point of the article.
LSU is not claiming ownership of the term honey badger. LSU is not claiming no one else can use the term honey badger.
LSU is claiming that the t-shirt legally constitutes a likeness to an NCAA athlete. It’s clearly a reference to a specific player so that’s a relatively fair statement.
Whether or not it’s illegal for me to sell an unlicensed t-shirt pertaining to a specific student athlete I can’t say. The article also mentions NCAA regulations for student athletes and their eligibility to compete which would be a valid concern if true.
You seemed to have missed a paragraph
Sure the NCAA and LSU may have a claim when the colors and numbers and nickname are used. But to appropriate the entire ‘athlete as honey badger’ thing is just absurd.
And they are claiming the whole name as well.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Facepalm
Actually, no, they aren’t. You are falsely claiming that they are. The original article does not state that nor does the actual notice from the school.
http://compliance.lsu.edu/Pages/HoneyBadger.aspx
Examples of Impermissible Products/Advertisements:
The word “Honey Badger” or an image of a Honey Badger accompanied by:
The number 7
TM7 (or any other likeness)
Name of individual
Image of individual
LSU Indicia
Also relevant, the NCAA regulation in question (https://web1.ncaa.org/LSDBi/exec/bylawSearch?bylawSearchSubmit=viewHtml&division=1&textTerms=&titleTerms=&keyValue=269&reportType=NotMain&adopted=0).
“If a student-athlete’s name or picture appears on commercial items (e.g., T-shirts, sweatshirts, serving trays, playing cards, posters) or is used to promote a commercial product sold by an individual or agency without the student-athlete’s knowledge or permission, the student-athlete (or the institution acting on behalf of the student-athlete) is required to take steps to stop such an activity in order to retain his or her eligibility for intercollegiate athletics.”
Let's start at the end
That isn’t happening. Isn’t close to happening, and is purely false.
I quoted the LSU rep as quoted at the sports business journal. If he doesn’t feel that statement is true he shouldn’t make it. Did you contact them for misappropriating his quote?
and you still miss the paragraph where I say that in combination things may be protected.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
What
I don’t think you understand what likeness means. There is no exclusivity with likeness. The honey badger is a likeness for Tyrann Mathieu. The honey badger is also a likeness for Osvaldo Alonso. This is not an issue.
No one has claimed exclusive ownership of honey badger at any level. No one has attempted to own a meme.
The only thing that’s been stated is that the combination of honey badger plus one of the items previously listed is protected. That is it. That is the only claim. That the combination of things is protected, which it is.
There is no arrogance, corporatism, or claims to exclusive use of honey badger.
So your disagreement is with LSU
Who again says this
A message on the compliance office’s website reads, “Because it is a recognizable nickname, ‘Honey Badger’ is considered a likeness of Tyrann Mathieu under NCAA regulations.”
I’m quoting LSU. What I am not doing is trying to invent law, nor act like a legal expert. They are claiming the whole word.
I still stand by my statement from the opening post
Sure the NCAA and LSU may have a claim when the colors and numbers and nickname are used.
But LSU is trying to do more than that according to their own words.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
by Dave Clark on Dec 10, 2011 1:38 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
You are misinterpreting what that means
LSU and the NCAA are saying it is against NCAA regulations to profit off of something that is commonly known to reference a specific player. That is all they are doing here.
I miss *REAL* Four Loko
by B-Lot tailgater on Dec 19, 2011 7:43 AM PST up reply actions
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