May 24, 2001 06:50am
University Sues Adult Web Site
Source: AP
(CHAPEL HILL, NC) -- The University of North Carolina is suing the makers of an adult Web site, claiming they uses the trademark ``UNC'' along with pictures of nude women.
The lawsuit claims Jack Erickson and April Erickson violated federal trademark laws by naming the site uncgirls.com.
Jack Erickson, named in the suit, said he gave the site to another Web designer to maintain and is no longer responsible for it. He did not identify the new owner. According to a database of registered Web addresses, uncgirls.com is registered to Universal Nude College Girls Sites.
Thursday morning, the site could not be accessed, but an archived version showed street signs in Chapel Hill and a picture of the campus student center above photos of partially naked women.
UNC's lawsuit seeks up to $100,000 in damages and the domain name transferred to the university. A similar case involving the Big East athletic conference and a site with pornographic ads was settled earlier this year after the owner of www.bigeast.com gave the domain name to the conference.
``We don't want our trademarks diluted, and we don't want the good name of the university to be smirched,'' said Susan Ehringhaus, UNC vice chancellor and general counsel.
UNC's lawsuit, filed last week, lists Erickson as president of Valuable Assets Leave Unrivaled Estates Holdings Inc. and April Erickson as secretary and treasurer.
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