Verification of trademarked Latin Mottos

[LP022123]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? New Jersey

Does anyone know if any of these Latin mottos are trademarked?
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"ACCIPE HOC," the motto of 848 Naval Air Squadron, Royal Navy.

"MUNIT HAEC ET ALTERA VINCIT," the motto of Nova Scotia.

"NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT," the motto of the Order of the Thistle, and consequently of Scotland.

"ORTA RECENS QUAM PURA NITES," the motto of New South Wales.

"IN LUMINE TUO VIDEBIMUS LUMEN," the motto of Columbia University and Ohio Wesleyan University.

"SUOS CULTORES SCIENTIA CORONAT," the motto of Syracuse University, New York.

"CRESCIT EUNDO," the State motto of New Mexico.

"SURGAM," the motto of Columbia University's Philolexian Society.

"VERITAS ET VIRTUS," motto of University of Pittsburgh, Methodist University.
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Confirmation that these are safe to use in a novel would be greatly appreciated. They are implemented in a manner that uses their wording in a different context.

 

[FlyingRon]

The military/government ones are almost certainly fair game.
The ones tied to universities you have to be careful with. Certainly Harvard defends their motto. What would be a problem would be how you used it. If you were to put VERITAS ET VIRTUS on a shirt that was in a way likely to be confused with a licensed Pitt product, yeah, they might go after you.

You can look the up registration of the marks at uspto.gov. Of course, people can assert trademark status without registration.

 

[LP022123]

What if the mottos were seperated by dashes to reveal hidden words within the Latin?

Something along these lines, "MUN-IT HAEC ET ALTER-A VINCIT."

Btw they would all only be used in a positive context within dialogue. The author has cleverly implemented them as responses for a few of her characters.

 

[FlyingRon]

If all you are trying to do is use them in passing in a novel, it matters not whether they are trademarked or not. I can say "Bill sat down with a bowl of Jell-O." Now, Kraft and may wish us to make sure we use their trademarks in a certain fashion (like spelling it "Jell-O" and not "jello" or something that would lend the reader to not recognize it as a trademark), we're under no obligation to do so.

As for the phrases, if you're just using them in a way not to refer to or to be confused with the university, again, you've got nothing to worry about PERIOD. Harvard can't keep me from saying Veritas in general, and in my book I can still use it to refer to Harvard in passing.

 

[LP022123]

Just to confirm, would all of the aforementioned mottos in the provided list be acceptable to use in a novel? They're mostly spoken by a Cobra Lily and do not reference any univeristy or government. }-)

 

[FlyingRon]

Yes, that is fine. Frankly, you can use them incidentally to refer to a university as well.

I could write,

I noticed by the "veritas" written repeatedly on his tie that he was a Harvard alumnus.