There’s a delicious coffee shop a few blocks from my apartment where the owners are very particular about where their coffee is from. The phrase “It’s COLOMBIA not Columbia” can be seen on a mug near the shop’s cash register. It’s not surprising that some people might confuse the spellings of a large South American country with a large university one borough over — and, based on a recent legal case, that isn’t the only case of mistaken identity facing Columbia University these days.
In late July, Columbia Sportswear sued Columbia University over claims that the Ivy League school was producing clothing that was too similar to its own wares. In an article for the Associated Press, Anne D’Innocenzio reports that the clothing company argued in its filing that the university had broken the terms of an arrangement that they each signed in 2023 to minimize confusion between the two.
As D’Innocenzio points out, both entities have coexisted for decades. The apparel company has “roots [dating] back to 1938,” while the university was founded in 1754, though it was known as King’s College at the time.
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Nike announced the closure of RTFKT last yearThe AP’s reporting details some of the specifics of the agreement signed between the sportswear company and the university, which required the latter to pair the word “Columbia” with another word or image that made it clear that it referred to the school. The apparel company is requesting pay for damages as well as for the remaining university merchandise in question to be given to charity.
This lawsuit isn’t the only high-profile legal case that Columbia University has faced this year. Last month, it paid $200 million to settle a dispute with the federal government.
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