I was filmed between January and June of 2005.

They can't be forced. If the shirt violated FCC rules (such as having one of the banned words) they would have to do so.

However-- if the sorority's international headquarters contacted the show producer and nicely requested that the shirt be blurred, it would be a good gesture on the part of MTV to agree... but it is totally optional on their part.

The expense to do this is very low. Since the industry standard is now non-linear editing, all one has to do is call up the master on the digital editing machine (most likely, it's an Avid edit system) open up the scene and insert a digital special effect.

It would take a producer to screen the tapes and gather the time codes, and an editor to make the changes. Very easy and inexpensive to do.

But again, MTV would be under no legal obligation. It would be more of a favor.

copyrighting letters
 

it's my understanding that our actual letters (anyone's) are not able to be copyrighted. our symbols (such as crest or mascot) can be copyrighted. but, having just the greek letters on a shirt can mean anything. it can be the name of a sorority, religious cult or anything else if it is JUST the letters. If the letters themselves could be copyrighted, it would mean that anyone can put any letters from the alphabet on something and say that it is copyrighted.

now, if the shirt had letters AND a crest or other official symbol, that would propbably be a different story. that's part of the reason why our HQ can't go after every mom and pop store that sells stuff with our letters on it. for example, i could make all the stuff i wanted with the letters NFL on it. however, if i start making stuff with footballs, using the official font or logos, then i can get in trouble for copyright infringement. If i make a pink letter shirt with NFL and white bunnies, it don't mean squat and the NFL cannot come after me. Since what our letters actually mean is secret, of course it will never be printed on a shirt. And since spelling out Alpha is not a meaningful word, it's just the pronunciation of the greek letter, it is not copryightable either.

i still think it is crap that she is wearing that shirt and leading people to believe that is a member. but, it's not illegal and I'm not sure that HQ can force or require MTV to blur them out. Other logos/brands can legally require they be blurred b/c they are copyrighted or trademarked. The non-greek letter orgs (FarmHouse, Acacia, etc) may be able to do that. Not sure though. Anyways.....just my 2 cents on the copyright issue.

From now on, whenever I see a girl on the street who is wearing my letters and I know she isn't an active member, I'm going to tear her letters off her and starting throwing a tantrum. And then I'm going to call MTV and demand that they make sure that my letters are never on a Real World cast member ever again, and they better do it cause I said so :)

Re: copyrighting letters
 

From the Phi Mu national website...

Did you know that our name, Phi Mu, is a registered trademark? The majority of Greek organizations have taken steps to register their respective names and insignia as official trademarks. In short, a trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, or design that identifies goods or services and distinguishes them from others. Phi Mu Fraternity owns the rights to our trademarks, making it unlawful for anyone to use them without permission, just like a university or a company, such as Coca Cola™ has rights to their trademarks.

Phi Mu owns the following trademarks:

Phi Mu
FM
Phi Mu crest
Phi Mu badge

Awesome. I think MTV could actually develop that into a reality series. "So You Think You're a Sorority Girl?"

:D

How is that when the show aired in June of 2005?

Ditto.

I had several friends deactivate my senior year for a variety of reasons. I think most of them gave back their badges.

I don't think we had ever ask them to not wear our letters on campus -- none of them were dorky enough to do that. So, I think I would have felt pretty stupid showing up at their place asking for all their greek t-shirts back and automatically assuming that they would wear them all over campus.

If they wanted to sit around in their party favor scrubs on the weekend, I didn't take take offense to that. I thought: that's their favorite pair of scrubs, they like them because they are comfortable, not because they have some letters on them.

That's a fabulous idea! :D Sadly enough, MTV would probably do something like that. I guess after one ripped letters off the other, they could battle it out, then either hate each other, or make up and become "sisters"

It may be different now, but when the Real World was filmed in San Francisco, they were finishing up with the production (filming and editing) when the early episodes were first aired.

Excellent deduction, Watson. :rolleyes:

well, i'm not afraid to admit when i am wrong, or at least when i am given wrong information. What i posted was given to me from what i thought was a reliable source and i swear i did not make it up! thank's for the information about Phi Mu. I did a search and came up with some things.

here's a link that leads to more information about trademarks:

http://www.greeklicensing.com/resources_licensing.asp

one thing i learned: trademark applies to logo/deisgn type things (which does include letters, although it didn't say anything about non-english letters) and copyright applies to written works (the def includes music, movies, books/papers/etc).

Oooooh Oooooh....kinda like that game show "Friend or Foe" where Kennedy was the host (I've seen it on Game Show Network).

:p
PsychTau

Precisely. And after they finish beating each other with their monogrammed Vera totes, one will finish the other off by dumping a LV bag full of MAC lip glass* over the other one's head.

Then they'll get in their jammies and have a pillow fight.

You know... just like in real life!

DISCLAIMER: * MAC Lip Glass is trademarked! Anyone who denounces MAC may not wear MAC Lip Glass in public ever again, lest those wearers who respect the M-A-C feel disrespected!

another disclaimer: this is a parody

How about Make up Art Cosmetics? Is that trademarked too or is it acceptable to misuse that?