Enterprise may keep using Ga. Tech mascot
Published 6:00 am Tuesday, November 4, 2008
The Lincoln County School Board Monday approved the extension ofa licensing agreement between one of its schools and the GeorgiaInstitute of Technology for the use of the university’s copyrightedmascot – for the grand total of $1.
The two-year contract allows Enterprise Attendance Center to useGeorgia Tech’s yellowjacket, “Buzz,” as the school mascot for twoyears for an annual sum of 50 cents.
“They don’t want to hurt you – they want you to have it. Butthey have to charge you something,” said Lincoln County SchoolDistrict Superintendent Terry Brister.
Brister said the deal between Enterprise and the Atlanta,Ga.-based institute was struck in 2006 to allow the county schoolto use Buzz as its mascot without violating copyright law.
He said Georgia Tech approves of primary schools using itslikeness, but some amount – no matter how miniscule – has to becharged to satisfy the copyright.
“Any time you use a mascot of any college that is alreadyestablished, you have to pay,” Brister said.
None of the other three county schools use an official collegemascot, Brister said.