Talk about calling in the cavalry.

The University of Alabama apparently needed some help in fighting an alleged trademark infringement by a sports artist, so College Licensing Company of Atlanta rounded up some support from among more than 200 universities that use its licensing protection services. Not to be left out of a trademark dispute, the Kansas University athletic department was one of 27 universities that answered the call.

The list of schools filing a “friend of the court” brief in support of Alabama includes plenty of big-name universities, both public and private: Duke, Notre Dame, Clemson, and the state universities of Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky and Illinois, to name a few.

They are all lined up to oppose artist Daniel Moore, who does artwork based on University of Alabama sports teams. Are any wealthy art organizations stepping in to support Moore? He isn’t exactly a starving artist, but it would be hard to stand up to the combined fire power recruited by CLC.

One of the main bones of contention in the lawsuit is Moore’s use of a specific shade of red to portray “The Crimson Tide.” This, of course, must resonate with KU officials who fought so hard to halt the use of “KU blue” by a local T-shirt producer.

According to TideSports.com, a website operated by the Tuscaloosa News, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that Moore infringed on UA’s trademark when he sold his reproduced images on mugs, calendars and other products without licensing them through the university. However, the judge rejected the university’s argument that the team’s uniform and colors are so iconic that they override First Amendment rights in fine arts.

The judge’s contention that college colors constitute a weak trademark are fighting words to KU and the other 26 universities who are offering their support.

Many local residents wondered how KU could trademark the color blue. Now, UA is making the same case for the color red. What’s next? Purple? Burnt orange?

On one hand, the argument over color seems silly. On the other hand, it would be great news if the Alabama judge could settle the question of trademark colors and end the costly litigation it is spurring in cases across the nation.