Heisman Trophy Trust files federal copyright, trademark lawsuit against website
By Keith Farner
Published:
The Heisman Trophy Trust has filed a federal lawsuit against a website and podcast that uses “Heisman” in its name.
Chase Leavitt, Joseph Middleton and Kimball Dean Parker are listed as the defendants who own or operates heismanwatch.com, heismanology.com and heismancandidates.com. The lawsuit in U.S. District Court is related to those web sites and other products and claims unauthorized use of the “Heisman” copyright and trademark.
The Heisman Trust generated $26.6 million in the past five years, which supports charitable missions. Last year alone, the Heisman trust donated $2 million to charities. The Heisman Trust spends annually more than $650,000 in advertising and promoting the Heisman, according to the lawsuit.
The Hollywood Reporter reported that the lawsuit may be taking a page from the playbook of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which once sued over OscarsWatch.com and got the site’s name changed to Awards Daily.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
