A T-shirt seller is being sued for trademark infringement for alleged misuse of “The Terrible Towel” mark.
Sports broadcaster Myron Cope invented the towel, a yellow-and-black cloth often waved by Pittsburgh Steelers fans, in the 1970s.
He gave the trademark to the Allegheny Valley School, which caters to young disabled students, in 1996, but the football club has an exclusive license to sell Terrible Towel-marked items.
Both the school and the Steelers are now suing Eugene Berry Enterprise LLC, which filed a trademark application for “The Terrible T-Shirt” earlier this year.
The company has been selling clothing featuring these words and also the phrase “Pittsburgh Original,” reports Reuters.
In the lawsuit, the firm is accused of trademark infringement, unfair competition, fraud and other offenses.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages including profits from the T-shirts, attorneys’ fees and other expenses, the news provider stated.