Talk:Ohio University

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Ohio University article.
This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject.

Put new text under old text. Click here to start a new topic.
New to Wikipedia? Welcome! Learn to edit; get help.

Article policies

Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL

Archives: Index, 1, 2: 3 months

United States: Ohio High‑importance

	United States portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject United States, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of topics relating to the United States of America on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the ongoing discussions. Template Usage Articles Requested! Become a Member Project Talk Alerts United StatesWikipedia:WikiProject United StatesTemplate:WikiProject United StatesUnited States
High	This article has been rated as High-importance on the project's importance scale.
	Ohio portal This article is supported by WikiProject Ohio (assessed as High-importance).

Higher education

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Higher education, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of higher education, universities, and colleges on Wikipedia. Please visit the project page to join the discussion, and see the project's article guideline for useful advice.Higher educationWikipedia:WikiProject Higher educationTemplate:WikiProject Higher educationHigher education

Bekierski

Anna Bekiersky Giel.zinken (talk) 14:58, 28 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Russ College

Greetings! Proposing to merge Academic and Research Center (Ohio University) with Ohio University Russ College of Engineering and Technology, as the ARC Building is part of the Russ College. What are your views on this merge?--Sapienna (talk) 10:32, 29 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds like a good idea - Academic and Research Center (Ohio University) doesn't look like a notable topic that merits its own article and the parent organization is a reasonable target for a merger. I don't think that all of the details in the article need to be merged, either. ElKevbo (talk) 21:06, 29 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I agree, I think that Russ College is the more notable topic here and more appropriate article to have. I see that some of the content has already been moved to the parent article—I'd copy edit some of the puffery and extra detail out of that text. 636Buster (talk) 00:30, 30 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you both very much. I've pared to get material for ARC down to one paragraph while keeping sourced information. Feel free editing and adding to this skeletal article, as credible online sources are plentiful. When ready, please merge the articles or I will do so next week after comprehending how to do so. Appreciate your help!--Sapienna (talk) 01:33, 30 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Would someone please merge the articles? Appreciate the help. Sapienna (talk) 20:03, 15 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

OU is trademarked by Oklahoma and should not be used to refer to Ohio University to ensure no further issues by mistake.

Copyright problem removed

Prior content in this article duplicated one or more previously published sources. The material was copied from: https://soonersports.com/documents/2018/5/8/5473175.pdf. Copied or closely paraphrased material has been rewritten or removed and must not be restored, unless it is duly released under a compatible license. (For more information, please see "using copyrighted works from others" if you are not the copyright holder of this material, or "donating copyrighted materials" if you are.)

For legal reasons, we cannot accept copyrighted text or images borrowed from other web sites or published material; such additions will be deleted. Contributors may use copyrighted publications as a source of information, and, if allowed under fair use, may copy sentences and phrases, provided they are included in quotation marks and referenced properly. The material may also be rewritten, provided it does not infringe on the copyright of the original or plagiarize from that source. Therefore, such paraphrased portions must provide their source. Please see our guideline on non-free text for how to properly implement limited quotations of copyrighted text. Wikipedia takes copyright violations very seriously, and persistent violators will be blocked from editing. While we appreciate contributions, we must require all contributors to understand and comply with these policies. Thank you. Jams81 (talk) 20:22, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

OU is trademarked and to ensure there is no issues to the University, it should not be on the Ohio University page. Jams81 (talk) 20:22, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

"OU" is not copyrightable - it's simply two letters, not an original work. Robminchin (talk) 20:34, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Please see the following document for more information.

https://soonersports.com/documents/2018/5/8/5473175.pdf Jams81 (talk) 20:35, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

There is nothing in that document that asserts a claim to copyright "OU". As the US Copyright Office puts it, "Copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, or short phrases" (see https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-protect.html). Robminchin (talk) 20:39, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Abbreviations and acronyms can be trademarked.

https://www.cohnlg.com/how-to-trademark-acronyms-and-abbreviations/#:~:text=Both%20acronyms%20and%20abbreviations%20can,source%20of%20goods%20or%20services.

In the Oklahoma source, "OU" is in the top right corner. Jams81 (talk) 20:49, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Trademark is completely different from copyright, which is the basis under which you removed the text. As noted by 636Buster, trademark is not a reason to remove this text which simply reflects that Ohio University is frequently referred to as OU by both the university itself and by news organisations, e.g. [1][2][3]. Robminchin (talk) 21:01, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Various news outlets are not directly affiliated with the University, unless it is the Post or from the University directly. That falls on them and would need to be discussed with the organization directly. Additionally, the University does not refer to itself as “OU” and should not be per internal admin, so these articles should be brought to the attention of the University. They are actively trying to distance themselves from the abbreviation due to the legal protections from Oklahoma. They are pushing hard for “OHIO.” Something to direct to the person who oversees the legality of these things at the University.Jams81 (talk) 21:08, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The first link above was the university saying "OU ranked Ohio’s top ‘Green Campus’ for 2025" in January of this year, and referring to itself as OU in the same article. So, yes, the university does refer to itself as OU, as shown in this and multiple other examples easily discoverable with Google. The use by other organisations demonstrates normal use of 'OU' in reliable sources as an abbreviation for Ohio University, which justifies including it in Wikipedia. Robminchin (talk) 21:51, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I do not believe the article using "OU" violates the trademark just as anyone on the street calling the university by that nickname is not a violation; it's not a commercial use likely to cause confusion. Calling the university "OU" falls under nominative or incidental use under U.S. trademark law. If we were using an "OU" logo that would be a different problem. 636Buster (talk) 20:44, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It would be best to not use it, as the University themselves are trying to distance themselves from "OU" because of how tricky trademarks in higher education can be for something like this. Jams81 (talk) 20:50, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

You don't get to unilaterally make this decision in opposition to all other editors. Continued edit warring will likely result in being blocked. ElKevbo (talk) 21:12, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

This is something legally protected by another university, and I am simply relaying the message and trying to hold up the University’s efforts to rebrand away from “OU” and towards “OHIO.” This is not supposed to be an edit war, it is someone directly tied to the University with consistent connections doing what they can to carry out their rebrand efforts. I believe being blocked would be completely wrong and done inappropriately for trying to protect and uphold various Ohio University efforts. Jams81 (talk) 21:17, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

You also need to review our conflict of interest policies and practices, including our requirement that editors disclose their employment if they're being paid to promote the topic.

And please keep in mind that this is an encyclopedia article that is completely independent of the university. If the university's rebranding efforts are successful and reflected in independent, reliable sources then editors will consider adding that information to the article. But this is not a university publication and we have no obligation whatsoever to abide by the university's style guide or marketing considerations. We have our own goals, policies, and community norms.

If anyone at the university has a legal concern or question, they are welcome to contact Wikimedia's legal team. ElKevbo (talk) 21:37, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Trademarks are not copyrights, so this is not a copyright violation. Trademarks simply act as ways for entities to control certain aspects of marketing and merchandise. Oklahoma has a trademark on OU just as Ohio State has a trademark on "THE". Are we now supposed to mark every article with "the" as a copyright violation too? But no, Ohio U's rebranding has no relevance here since we are not part of, affiliated, or associated with the university of the University of Oklahoma. Ohio U is welcome to avoid using "OU" and use "OHIO" (in all caps) in its own publications, but that does not extend to outside publications. And yes, "OU", especially in the state of Ohio, is commonly used to refer to Ohio University by students, alumni, and residents. --JonRidinger (talk) 21:41, 11 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]