UA Nets Small Gain For Guitar Grief

We first told you last February about what we saw as a flippant lawsuit by the University of Arkansas against a Florida-based company selling guitars with the word “Razorback” in the name.

These weren’t red-and-white, hog-headed guitars, mind you, passing themselves off as official merchandise. Dean Guitars launched the Razorback line after the death of guitar designer and former Pantera frontman Darrell Abbott, who was murdered onstage on Dec. 8, 2004, in Ohio.

There were no UA logos, pigs snorting popcorn or school colors involved, and some guitars didn’t even have the word “Razorback” on them.

But the ever-litigious UA went after Dean, demanding it cease-and-desist and fork over the profits earned from selling the guitar.

Thankfully, the case has been resolved and boy, what a win it was for the UA.

They get the licensing rights for the guitar and — get this — a $50 annual fee for use of the word “Razorback.” Dean gets to continue with business as usual.

Based on the thousands of taxpayer dollars spent pursuing this frivolous case, we figure the UA should break even in, oh, around 2168.