Federal judge sides with Ohio State in trademark case, orders Wis. firm’s website shut down

Judge sides with Ohio State in Wis. trademark case

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A federal judge has told a Wisconsin marketing company to take down a website at the center of a trademark dispute with Ohio State University.

Ohio State had accused GDS Marketing Inc. of trying to produce electronic versions of gameday programs along with printed versions for distribution in Columbus. The company owns the web domain buckeyeillustrated.com. The school’s athletic teams are known as the Buckeyes.

U.S. District Judge Gregory Frost on Monday granted a temporary restraining order for the company to stop publication and to stop registering, selling or assigning domain names containing Ohio State trademarks.

Ohio State says it’s obligated to protect its trademarks from unauthorized use.

A phone message left for a Madison, Wis., attorney representing GDS Marketing hasn’t been returned.