Edina High School reaches settlement with artist of hornet logo
The original Edina High School logo, as submitted by Michael Otto to the U.S. Copyright Office in 1981, was included as an evidence exhibit in Otto's copyright infringement lawsuit against Edina Public Schools.[Minnesota U.S. District Court]
Edina High School will be able to continue using the hornet logo on its school merchandise after it reached a settlement with the man who originally drew the picture.
RELATED: Artist files lawsuit against Edina High School for use of Hornet logo on merchandise
The school confirmed in a statement that they reached a settlement with the creator of the logo that gives them full rights to use it.
A civil lawsuit was filed in January and brought four civil charges against Edina Public Schools, including copyright infringement, inducement of copyright infringement, breach of contract and unjust enrichment.
The plaintiff, Michael Otto, licensed the hornet logo to Edina Public Schools back in 1981. He claimed the school district broke a written agreement between the two parties when it “intentionally took active steps to encourage and promote” third-party use of the logo on merchandise starting in the 2019-20 school year and “knowingly benefitted from unjust enrichment” through these arrangements.
Otto issued a cease and desist order last March but allowed the school district to use the logo for school athletics, activities and events through the end of the school year. He also said the school could keep the logo on the floor of the school’s foyer.
Before the settlement was reached, the school said it planned to completely scrub the logo from its facilities, adding that the whole process would “take some time” and could come at a “substantial” cost.
The school did not release details of the settlement.