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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Holiday Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend January 17, 2007 Since You Asked The mascot for the Oregon Ducks looks similar to Disney's Donald Duck. How has the U of O "ducked" copyright infringement? Do they have a license or has Disney missed it? -- Larry S., Jacksonville Attorneys and huge corporations missing a beat where a dollar might be lost, Larry? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but what planet are you from, exactly? Actually your question brings up an interesting story that began with a gentlemen's agreement between Walt Disney and Leo Harris, U of O's first athletic director. Donald was a fearsome improvement from "Puddles," a real duck brought to games as the school's mascot in the early 1900s, according to the booster Web site Goducks.com. Artwork of the school's mascot started to look more and more like Donald by the mid-1930s, and after a few years of wrangling, legend has it that on a handshake in 1947, Walt Disney agreed to allow U of O to use Donald's image. Advertisement The agreement was put on paper in 1973 and limited the university to using the mascot at athletic venues only. The deal was updated in 1991 to allow U of O to merchandise products with Donald's image, though only in Oregon. The current images were put together by a three-person team of Disney artists about 15 years ago, according to a story published last year in the Eugene Register Guard. Goducks.com says the university's marketing machine, chafing at the restrictions of the 1991 agreement, recently came up with the stylized "O" that makes do for out-of-state fans buying U of O merchandise. Although U of O is the only school to have a Disney-licensed mascot, you might see a touch of Disney in a logo from another PAC-10 school: Arizona State's Sparky the Sun Devil was drawn by Berk Anthony, who worked for Disney in the 1930s and '40s, according to ASU Magazine's 2005 Homecoming issue. Anthony's Sparky bears a striking resemblance to ol' Walt himself, if you ask the one ASU alum deep in the bowels of SYA's World Headquarters. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Entertainment Guide Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Men's Clothing Debt Help