What to Know
- Penn State wants to ensure it holds the trademark when it's called Happy Valley.
- The Happy Valley trademark had been registered but that the holder didn't renew it.
- The application says Penn State wants to use the term 'Happy Valley' on clothing and headwear.
It's sometimes called State College and sometimes University Park, but Penn State wants to ensure it holds the trademark when it's called Happy Valley.
The Centre Daily Times reported Wednesday the university asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last month to trademark the term that refers to the school's setting in the mountains of central Pennsylvania.
The application says it wants to use the term on clothing and headwear.
The paper says that the trademark had been registered but that the holder didn't renew it.
A Penn State spokeswoman says the school wants to consult local government and business leaders about the use of the term.
The newspaper says one of its columnists apparently popularized the term in a 1962 piece headlined, "Happy Valley and the Jet Age."
