BATTLE OF THE BRANDS

Columbia Sportswear Sues 273-Year-Old University Over Shared Name

Columbia, the clothing company, is upset over clothing sold by Columbia, the university.

Columbia Sportswear has filed a lawsuit against Columbia University alleging that the school has breached its trademark by selling merchandise bearing its own name. The two parties had previously signed a legal agreement in 2023 to avoid consumer confusion over clothing and merchandise sales, but Columbia Sportswear now claims that the educational institution is in breach of that agreement. “The likelihood of deception, confusion, and mistake engendered by the university’s misappropriation and misuse of the Columbia name is causing irreparable harm to the brand... and the reputation for quality it embodies,” the lawsuit claims. The sportswear label alleges that the university has sold several items in a bright blue color similar to their own iconic shade, while other garments bear only the name “Columbia” without any of the accompanying qualifiers, like “university,” “1754,″ or their academic insignia, as required under the agreement. Columbia Sportswear gets its name from the Columbia River in Oregon, while the university was renamed in 1784—30 years after its founding—in honor of Christopher Columbus.