Baylor University and Boston University are pursuing a possible settlement in a federal trademark case involving Boston’s interlocking “BU” logo. A Sept. 23 court filing said the lawsuit could not yet be dismissed, although the universities had made substantial progress. Baylor must either submit an agreement ending the case or provide another update by Oct. 9, 2026. The potential settlement’s terms have not been released.
Baylor sued Boston University’s trustees on Aug. 8, 2025, alleging trademark infringement, unfair competition and false designation of origin under the Trademark Act of 1946. Baylor President Linda Livingstone told baylorlariat.com the schools were collaborating on a resolution. Baylor had told the court Sept. 9 that it expected to report back within two weeks.
Livingstone said safeguarding Baylor’s trademarks and brands was important, though litigation was not the university’s initial objective.
Baylor has used its logo since 1912 and sought federal registration in 1987. Boston University first challenged that application, and the schools later agreed both could use “BU.” Boston traditionally placed the letters side by side, while Baylor used an interlocked version. Boston began selling merchandise and club sports jerseys with interlocked letters in 2018.
Baylor contacted Boston in 2021, but Boston continued using the design on school-sponsored and licensed products. Baylor marketing professor Meredith David said the logos had coexisted without confusion for years, but Boston’s design could cause consumers to mistake one school’s merchandise for the other’s.
