Beantown Notes lawyer Lucy Lovrien sent a letter to Boston University Associate General Counsel Robert Smith last week saying the company’s sale of student notes does not violate intellectual property laws.
The letter was a response to BU’s order that the company cease and desist.
But Smith said Tuesday he had not yet received the letter and could not comment on the matter.
In the letter, Lovrien said the company has not infringed upon any statutory or common law rights since it does not use the name Boston University in connection with the sale of its notes.
Lovrien’s letter cited a 1996 case at the University of Florida in which the school lost a suit against a note-taking company alleging numerous trademark-related claims including the use of course numbers.
Beantown Notes officials could not be reached for comment, but they provided a copy of the letter they sent to Smith.
As BU and the company fight, BU professors and administrators continue taking action.
Anthropology professor Laura MacLatchy distributed a letter to her AN 102 class on Nov. 10, notifying students that paying for another person’s notes is cheating.
‘Selling or purchasing notes is improper and a violation of the [Code of Student Responsibilities],’ the letter said.
The letter said if MacLatchy finds a student selling notes, she has been asked to inform College of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean of Students Loren J. Samons.
‘I wrote the letter after I spoke with the chair and the dean,’ MacLatchy said. ‘I’ve heard nothing from my students, and I don’t expect to.’
Samons said he will fully investigate any claims of students selling notes.
‘If there seemed to be substance to the accusation, I would then turn the matter over to the Dean of Students Office for investigation as a possible violation of the Code of Student Responsibilities,’ Samons said in an email.
College of Communication senior Valerie Hurst said she understands why BU is targeting the company located on South Campus.
‘To me, it’s the same thing as the websites that allow you to buy papers. It’s plagiarism,’ Hurst said. ‘And where BU is so strict about plagiarism, it’s no wonder they’re up in arms against this.’
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