The University of Nebraska is threatening web pages that have the word "Husker" in their title -- as this one does -- according to the message attached below. Guess they'll have to go after these sites too:
Husker Power web site
Asger Schnack: Jeg Husker Alt
(AP) Husker QB Brook Berringer killed in plane crash near NU campus
Husker Du
Penstemon 'Husker Red' is 1996 Perennial Plant of the Year
Husker midwestern home design
Joel's Husker Page
-Declan McCullagh, August 15, 1996
Husker Web Pages Must Cease To: huskers@pumpkin.tssi.com Subject: Husker Web Pages Must Cease From: mfricke@serv01.net-link.net (Mark E. Fricke) Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 17:59:55 -0400 I hate to be the bearer of real bad news, but if you have a personal web site on the internet that features any logos, graphics, audio or even the page name of Cornhusker or Husker (like the Husker Press Box) be prepared to get a Cease and desist letter from the University of Nebraska's attorney's. The problem is simple. A lot of money has been paid to license the name and logo's of the Huskers and there are many business interests to protect. Pinnacle Broadcasting is the exclusive rights holder for internet usage of the name and logos (and you thought the live broadcasts were all good). Now..there are a couple of things we can do. #1 remove all references to Huskers, Big Red, Cornhuskers etc. from THE PAGES TITLE. You can still talk about, mention, berate or praise the team within the page, just not in the page title. The reason here is that the University wants all search engines (yahoo, excite, infoseek etc.) to send searches for the Huskers to their site (huskerwebcast) #2 remove all licensed logo's, pictures of Herbie audio of the band etc. from your site. #3 There is one more solution. Huskerwebcast will allow pages to exist as they are if they are housed within THEIR page. Wether that mean they will have hyperlinks to these hidden pages or if you will actually have to set up an account and an FTP site to their server I'm not clear on. I'm awaiting confirmation on this. Okay, now my personal views. Yeah it's a bummer...a great big bummer. I really don't see how private personal pages could possibly infringe on the marketing dollars of the University (except for logos, you got me there) But PAGE NAMES?!?!. They seem a little greedy fo rthe traffic. I'm no lawyer (maybe some of you out there are and know something about public domain)so I will do what I must with the Husker Press Box. I will still provide the page in some manner, either changing the name or joining the University page. Luckily I have already been extended an offer to do that. I will wait and see. My advise to other Husker wep page masters. Be ready for a letter and be ready to reacte. this is a big University with lots of money and lots of attorney's Mark Fricke