Who owns the letter W?

If Wayne High School hasn’t yet received a letter from the University of Wisconsin, it probably will.

Wisconsin is going to war against high schools that use a version, however faint, of its “Action W” logo on their football helmets or other parts of athletic uniforms.

It started several weeks ago, when a lawyer for College Licensing Co., which monitors and protects college athletic logos, wrote a letter to Waukee High School in Iowa demanding the school cease using the Wisconsin W on their helmets and other equipment. Now you can make the argument that no one can copyright a “W.” And you can argue that the Waukee W is not identical to the Wisconsin version. And you can argue that the lawyer was only performing a formality to show an attempt had been made to protect his client should a far more serious violation ever occur.

I choose Door Number 3.

Oh, Westside and Weir high schools in West Virginia have received the letters from Wisconsin, along with 19 others nationwide. If Wisconsin decides to sue, Attorney General Darrell McGraw said he will defend the schools.

Speaking of which, Marshall University made a big deal a few years ago of creating its own distinctive M. Several seasons have passed, and the same M used by Marshall, Michigan, Maryland and Missouri still adorns the Marshall football helmets.