An artist is mad because the school used her design without telling her. But the school insists it didn’t need her permission.

Ariel Fleurimond says she created “Orion,” which is a caricatured drawing of a cougar, at the request of New York University (NYU). She says the parties agreed the design would be used as the mascot for the school’s athletic department.

When NYU began using the design without Fleurimond’s knowledge or consent, Fleurimond sued for copyright infringement. The school says it’s the owner of the copyright because Fleurimond created the design while she was an NYU employee.

Not so fast, the court said. It’s too early in the case to tell who is the legal owner of the copyright, and more proceedings are needed. Therefore, the court denied the school’s motion to dismiss the complaint.

Cite: Fleurimond v. New York University.

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Tags: copyright issues, mascots, New York University