Kansas trademark suit goes to jury

TOPEKA, Kan., July 10 (UPI) -- Jurors failed to reach a verdict Thursday in a trademark infringement suit brought by the University of Kansas against a local business owner.

Deliberations began Wednesday after several weeks of trial in federal court.

The university claims that Larry Sinks, owner of Joe-College.com, has violated its trademark by selling unlicensed blue T-shirts using the words "Kansas" and "hawk."

Lawyers also say that Sinks hurt Kansas' reputation with some shirts bearing vulgar slogans.

"We're just a small, locally owned business, and the owner of the store is just trying to make a living," Joe-College manager Erin Adams told the Kansas City Star. "This is his kids' college fund going down the drain, and it's all because the University of Kansas thinks it owns the color of blue, and they don't."

Last month, Sinks told the Star that the university offered a settlement that would have required him to pay $900,000, which he said was more than his business's revenue in the past two years.