SLIDELL, La. — When an Internet-based college tried to trademark the slogan "America's Online University," America Online Inc. objected.
Grantham University, which says it has 5,000 students enrolled in Internet-based classes, will withdraw its application because it cannot afford to fight the Virginia-based Internet service provider, said its chief executive, Tom Macon.
"They can really out-lawyer us," he said. "Their pockets are much, much, much deeper than ours. In fact, you could put a thousand muches in front of that."
Founded in 1951, the school sought trademark protection for the slogan on Dec. 31. AOL asked Grantham officials to withdraw the application in August.
Jim Davis, an attorney for AOL, said companies must police their trademarks or lose them. "It's a standard practice that's important to ensure the trademark doesn't become a generic term like aspirin, thermos or escalator — all of which used to be trademarked names," he said.