Louisiana AG: Shops can sell ‘Who Dat’ shirts
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana’s attorney general said Monday that local T-shirt makers don’t need the National Football League’s permission to sell shirts with the phrase “Who Dat,” as long as they don’t make other references to the New Orleans Saints or NFL.
Attorney General Buddy Caldwell said he had a conference call with the NFL’s general counsel to discuss cease-and-desist letters some Louisiana T-shirt makers received from the league. The letters demanded they stop selling shirts featuring the phrase that’s part of a popular cheer by Saints fans, citing trademark infringement.
“They’ve conceded and they’ve said they have no intention of claiming the fleur-de-lis, which would be ridiculous, or the ‘Who Dat,’ which would be equally ridiculous,” Caldwell said in an interview. The fleur-de-lis is a traditional symbol of New Orleans that’s featured on Saints helmets.
The NFL is only objecting to shirts that are marketed or presented as an official Saints or NFL product, Caldwell said. Shirts that are black and gold and say “Who Dat” can be sold, he said, if they don’t purport to be Saints gear and don’t include the team logo.
SportingNews.com
2/2/10
