Public service agency lifts logo

Nasir Jiwa

Orange Coast College’s logo can be found almost everywhere on its

164-acre campus: plastered on windows, embroidered on school

memorabilia and printed on countless publications. The signature logo

-- an orange “O” encircling two swirling blue “C”-forming waves -- is

displayed on brochures, class schedules and the student newspaper.

So, when an OCC staffer picked up a brochure several months ago at

a community event, thinking he was choosing official OCC recruitment

literature, he was surprised to discover the material was not from

the college, and the insignia was bogus.

“The logo had been slightly altered,” said Jim Carnett, director

of community relations for OCC. “A third C had been rather clumsily

added to the existing O and two C’s”.

So who lifted the logo? Carnett did not want to say.

“I hesitate to mention it. It’s actually a public service agency,

which probably doesn’t have a big budget,” Carnett said. “They do

good work. What they do for the community is positive.”

The college’s original logo -- created in 1997 by Dwaine Moses,

OCC’s former graphic artist -- had never been trademarked, although

the school’s administration had considered it. Since discovering the

altered symbol, college officials have registered the logo. It is now

protected for 10 years, after which the college can reregister its

graphic.

Carnett said the graphic had probably been downloaded from the

college’s website

This isn’t the first time OCC has had to protect its advertising

tools. Six months ago, the junior college discovered a proprietary

school using OCC’s nearly 25-year-old slogan: “We’ll help you get

there.” The marketable motto is trademarked now, too.

College administrators say it’s a matter of pride for OCC, but

most students interviewed don’t seem to worry about the pilfering of

their school’s logo.

“We’re a commuter school. You go in and go out,” said Ali Hameed,

a philosophy major. “After all, it’s a stepping point to a four-year

school. From point A to point B, OCC is point A-and-a-half.”