Traveler trademark now USC’s own

Dispute: Controversy ends as mascot’s owner signs contract that donates rights to horse’s name, image to university

By AMANDA CARACCI
Staff Writer

The trademark controversy over the name of USC's mascot horse, Traveler, came to an end Thursday when Pat Saukko, the horse's owner, donated the rights to Traveler's name to the university.
"Traveler has a permanent home, and it's USC where he belongs," Saukko said.
It was an abrupt yet conciliatory conclusion to a sometimes bitter dispute over the future of the Traveler name and tradition. Both sides expressed happiness with the outcome, which university officials called a compromise.
As part of the deal, Saukko is to receive a portion of the revenues from USC sales of Traveler merchandise. Saukko maintains ownership of the horse a point that was never disputed and her contract with the university was extended two years, through 2006.
Saukko was faxed the university's contract Wednesday, but said she did not sign it until Thursday in honor of the birthday of her late husband, Richard Saukko, the original rider and owner of Traveler I who brought the tradition to USC in 1961.
"I wanted to make sure he was part of it, because it was such a great part of him," she said. "For him, there was no other place for Traveler."
Michael Jackson, vice president of Student Affairs, said he, too, was pleased with the resolution.
"Traveler as a trademark is now protected to be used in a positive way to promote USC and sports programs," Jackson said.
The federal government granted Saukko trademark rights to Traveler's name in 1998, but the university appealed the decision, which led to a two-year controversy surrounding the mascot. Angry alumni voiced their opposition to the university's actions on a "Save Traveler" web site, and some students wore white T-shirts to a home football game in September in support of the white-maned horse. The Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily News both covered the story, as did the Daily Trojan.
More divisive was the firing of Traveler's rider, Ardeshir Radpour, on Oct. 19. Radpour was dismissed amid allegations of foul language and inappropriate behavior, and was replaced by Chuck O'Donnell, Saukko's son and Traveler V's trainer. Radpour denied the allegations, and the "Save Traveler" supporters backed him up. But outrage over that controversy, too, remained muted.
There was no single impetus that led to Thursday's compromise on the trademark issue, said Stephen Yamaguchi, university counsel. This was a decision that had been under negotiation for quite some time, he said.
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office web site, Saukko originally applied for the trademark rights to appearances by Traveler at sporting events, equestrian demonstrations and educational services. The university's appeal requested the rights to, among other things, marketing items such as hairbrushes, portable beverage coolers and toy swords, as well as the right for Traveler to partake in competitions and live performances with the Trojan Marching Band.
Saukko may also continue to participate in charity events or demonstrations with university approval, Jackson said.
"The benefit (of settling the trademark dispute) is that there is no controversy," Jackson said. "We have clarity."
The dispute over the Traveler name is only one of several instances where outside parties have applied for trademark rights to something traditionally associated with USC.
USC alumni Daniel Chantre and Nathan Gordan, both private entrepreneurs, have applied for the trademark rights to "Spirit of Troy," also the name of USC's marching band, and "Fight On," USC's slogan, to sell in their merchandise alongside their "FUCLA" T-shirts, hats, caps, pants, shorts and ties.
The university has yet to formally respond to the action, although USC officials have expressed displeasure with the situation.

Copyright 2000 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 141, No. 60 (Tuesday, November 28, 2000), beginning on page 1 and ending on page 14.