Baylor University and Boston University have made substantial progress toward settling Baylor’s federal trademark lawsuit against Boston University’s trustees, but the case had not been dismissed as of the latest court filing. Baylor must either file a dismissal agreement or give the court another settlement update by Oct. 9, 2026. The terms of a possible agreement were not disclosed.
Baylor filed the lawsuit Aug. 8, 2025, accusing Boston University of violating federal trademark law through infringement, unfair competition and false designation of origin. Baylor President Linda Livingstone said the schools are working toward a resolution. Baylor told the court Sept. 9 that it expected to report back within 14 days, then said in a Sept. 23 filing that more work remained.
Baylor has used its logo since 1912 and applied for federal trademark protection in 1987. Boston University initially opposed that application, but the institutions later agreed both could use the letters “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, and Boston still used the design on products sponsored or licensed by the school, according to the source. Livingstone said trademark and brand protection matters to Baylor, though a lawsuit was not its initial objective. Baylor marketing professor Meredith David said Boston’s design could cause consumers to confuse the schools’ merchandise, despite the logos having existed without confusion for years.
