UC Blocks Use of Its Names

Clarification Appended

When UC Berkeley junior Yaman Salahi went to register his new student group this summer, he did not expect to have to change its name to have it approved.

As Salahi discovered, students attempting to create a new student group may experience challenges as they try to register their intended names, due to the regulations about using trademarks of the university.

“The point they emphasized is to eliminate the liability of the university,” said Salahi, who went earlier this month to register a group he had wanted to call Berkeley Iraq Moratorium.

As the number of student groups on campus surges past 500, officials said they are looking for ways to inform students of what names are not allowed.

Under current regulations, a registered group’s name cannot include The University of California, Berkeley, UC Berkeley, Cal or any other variation of the university’s name that is trademarked and owned by the UC Regents, said Maria Rubinshteyn, director of UC Berkeley’s Office of Marketing and Business Outreach.

According to The Office of Student Life’s Guide for Student Organizations 2003-04, a registered student organization may only use “Berkeley” or “Berkeley campus” in reference to the geographical location.

Most of the campus’ student organizations are classified as registered, allowing them use of UC Berkeley's campus facilities, but not use of its name, said Marcia Riley, director of student involvement and leadership programs in the Office of Student Life.

“If a student group’s name includes the campus’ name, the public will often make the mistaken assumption that the group, its interests, activities and opinions, represents the interests of or is somehow endorsed by the University when this is not the case,” Rubinshteyn said in an e-mail.

These restrictions do not, however, apply to the campus’ very few sponsored groups, which differ from registered groups in that they are overseen by a departmental faculty member, Riley said.

“One of the key things about being a sponsored program is that part of the purpose of your organization needs to align with the overall mission of the university,” she said.

But although these groups, such as UC Berkeley Model United Nations, are able to use more from the campus, such as their trademarks, they also face more campus regulations.

“They have more privileges in regards to the level of recognition and their status but they also have more responsibility,” Riley said.

Salahi said he was concerned with the broad terms the university was restriction.

“They seem to be claiming rights to Berkeley and California, which seems like a stretch to me,” Salahi said.

The only exception to the system exists for groups that were created before the policies were adopted, and were “grandfathered” into the system, Riley said, including the Berkeley College Republicans and other political groups who would otherwise not currently be allowed to use the trademarked name.

However, even these names may not be as safe as they once were, as Rubinshteyn said the campus is currently reviewing how to address the names of these groups.

“Several campus units are reviewing the best way to ensure compliance to University policies, as well as state and federal laws which govern use of the University’s names and trademarks in an even and fair-handed manner,” she said in the e-mail.

Salahi said he changed the proposed name of his organization to avoid any delays.

Clarification: August 2, 2007
The headline on Monday’s article “UC Blocks Use of Its Names” may have implied that the policy described was UC-wide. In fact, it is a UC Berkeley policy.

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