COLUMBUS – The Ohio State University has been active in protecting names and traditions associated with the university from being bandied about on clothing and other items and now it’s turning its attention to one of the oldest features on the Columbus campus.
According to a report in Columbus Business First, OSU attorneys want to protect the name “Oval” for use in clothing & other merchandise. The request was made in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office documents.
The space in what was then the center of the university’s main campus that became the Oval took shape in 1901 and gained its capitalized name in 1920.
It is considered unusual among college campus greenspaces since – unlike most “quads” – it is not a quadrangle.