Linda McMahon Drops Use Of UConn HUSKY Logo On Campaign Web Site

Republican Linda McMahon dropped the use of the University of Connecticut’s Huskies logo on her web site Wednesday after a telephone call from the university.

The U.S. Senate candidate had been using the logo on the web site under the heading of “HUSKIES for Linda,” featuring the blue and white Husky dog with a red tongue. Next to the logo, it said, “Join the Coalition” to support McMahon’s campaign for the U.S. Senate – and the site included for the supporter’s name, email address, and telephone number. McMahon is running against former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays of Bridgeport in the primary on August 14.

“They did not have permission to use the logo. They were happy to take it down,” said Michael Enright, the chief spokesman for the university’s athletic department in Storrs. “This is how we usually start – with a single phone call. It was about a five-minute phone call.”

The university contacted McMahon’s campaign manager, Corry Bliss, about the issue involving the university’s trademark and the necessary permission that is needed to use it under copyright laws.

“I don’t think any candidate can use it – even if they wanted to go through the normal channels,” Enright told Capitol Watch in an interview. ”It went very smooth. There was no reason for letters. This is something we deal with every day.”

Since the UConn basketball teams have been popular for many years, the issues of the trademark come up all the time, he said. Some people try to make money off the logo, for example, by making counterfeit T-shirts and selling them for a profit. The vendors try to sell all of the shirts before the university even realizes what is happening. Other times, the logo is simply used to promote an event.

“We protect our intellectual property. We have to watch it carefully,” Enright said.”Most times, we just do a cease-and-desist. Most people are pretty good.”

Tim Murtaugh, the new spokesman for McMahon’s campaign, said the issue was “pretty cut and dry” when a university official called Wednesday.

“They called and said, ‘Could you change the image?’ ” Murtaugh said. “So we did.”

The “Huskies for Linda” coalition is similar to other groups that include Democrats, independents, women, and veterans for McMahon, he said. The Huskies coalition includes students, alumni, professors, parents of students,  and regular fans, he said.

A screenshot of the Huskies logo being used on the McMahon campaign website.

While others have sought to capitalize on the UConn logo for economic reasons, Enright said it was “a little out of the ordinary” for a political campaign to use the logo.

“That’s a licensed trademark that you have to get permission to use,” he said. “We have to give permission.”