Founded by Omar Terywall in 2021, Cambridge Rowing Limited is currently embroiled in a trademark dispute with the University of Cambridge. Just recently has this conflict come to light. Terywall currently has pending trademark on saving the name “Cambridge Rowing.” The University is stamping retort pretty smooth to this move with the goal of protecting its trademarks.
Cambridge Rowing Limited operates from the City of Cambridge Rowing Club, one of several independent rowing clubs in the city not affiliated with the University. Terywall’s outfit focuses on getting beginners hooked on the game of rowing. So far, they have creatively reached over 5,000 people—hundreds of these being local children. To protect these valuable assets, Terywall recently moved to register the name “Cambridge Rowing.” They attempted to trademark a pipecock logo across 87 different categories, including sports apparel and corporate hospitality.
In reply, the University of Cambridge filed an objection. The prestigious institution is the owner of a registered trademark for “Cambridge” in class 41. This service mark includes athletic and cultural programs, as well as sports camp services. A spokesperson for the University stated, “While we recognise this is not the intention in every case, we have to protect trademarks to prevent misuse.” Finally, they strongly argued that without this type of protection, “fraudulent use would skyrocket.”
The University has been successful in the past going after other businesses using “Cambridge” in their names. In 2021, the UK Intellectual Property Office issued a landmark ruling. They stood in the University’s corner against a local brewery that sought to trademark “Cambridge Blue” as the name their Boat Race-inspired lager would bear. This history renders the current dispute all the more remarkable.
Terywall’s University of Iowa organizer, Jakob Kincaid, criticized the University’s tactics as aggressive and intimidating. Reflecting on the university, he noted, “We are coming out like an independent star. It’s very intimidating, too— it can be daunting,” he explained. I mean, it is a kind of bullying. As far as he is concerned, the University’s objection is without merit, and certainly as to class 41. Liz Ward, a trademark attorney with knowledge of the case, shared her skepticism. “But I don’t think they’re winning on class 41,” she said.
Part of the debate over the trademark, then, is a test case focusing legal questions, like whether anyone can own common terms. When asked who owns the right to use the word Cambridge, Terywall insisted that it’s nobody’s real property. They suggested that the word “rowing” belongs to all of us. Perhaps most important, he stressed that rowing is inextricably enmeshed in Cambridge’s culture. He acknowledged, “Sure, they’ve been amazingly successful, but Cambridge has a long history before the university ever came to be, as did rowing.”
The battle highlights larger clashes between the old guard of institutions and the new wave of disruptive business models. At the core of Terywall’s business is a commitment to community engagement and cultivating an inclusive space to learn and practice the sport of rowing. The ongoing dispute threatens to undermine these important efforts. As Terywall emphasized, “When a huge, huge company like them is gunning for you, it’s really terrifying.”