Wei-Huan Chen

wchen@jconline.com

"Let's Be Cops," the new buddy cop comedy by 20th Century Fox, has a lot of Purdue in it. The film, which beat out "Expendables 3" and "The Giver" at the box office last weekend, follows the hijinks of a former Purdue quarterback and his best friend and roommate Justin, a struggling video game designer.

In the film, which has been universally panned by critics, the two pick up women, chase down naked intruders and topple Russian crime lords by impersonating cops in Los Angeles, where they now live.

And how does Purdue feel about all this? The film has been described as witless, offensive and, worst of all, unfunny. As you might expect, when 20th Century Fox approached the school in May 2013 for permission to use the university's official trademarks and logos, Purdue turned them down.

"Purdue simply made a decision that it did not want to become formally involved with this film, given its understanding of the project at the time," said Purdue spokeswoman Liz Evans.

In the film, Jake Johnson ("New Girl") plays Ryan O'Malley, a 30-year-old ex-Boilermaker who wears his faded athletic glory on his sleeve, literally. When he coaches football to a group of unwitting teens, he dons a gray T-shirt that says "Purdue Alumni of LA." It's as worn-out as he is, though you can still clearly see the Purdue letters.

He gets invited by the alumni group — a spoof of the real-life Purdue Alumni Club of LA and OC — to a reunion party, where Ryan finds a group of grads cheering on the Boilermakers in a televised game against Mississippi State University. The film jumps to a fantasy shot of Ryan, clad in Purdue football gear, raising his hands in the air after throwing a winning spiral.

"Let's Be Cops" probably shouldn't have mentioned the school at all, according to David Wilson, director of trademarks licensing at Purdue.

"If someone wants rights to use Purdue in a reference, video footage, imagery or use the Purdue name, they would contact us with the request and send us a script," he said. "Typically I will share it with the entities affected. The four or five people will communicate and we'll reach a consensus to see if we're comfortable with the branding."

The university receives 10 to 15 requests from movies and television shows a year, though most of them are for educational or documentary programs. Typically two or three of them will be for dramatic features, Wilson said.

Purdue is most commonly seen in mainstream films through football footage, though the 1963 John Wayne film "McLintock!" featured a character, played by John Wayne's son, Patrick Wayne, who attended Purdue.

When the producers of "Let's Be Cops" applied to use Purdue's name, Wilson circulated their script — which includes a scene where an overweight, naked trespasser falls, crotch-first, onto a Purdue grad's face. The verdict: No.

"It's all about protecting our image and our brand. If the Purdue name or Boilermaker is used in any kind of a context … then we certainly have a right to approve or disapprove that," Wilson said. "Any university would have the same concerns."

Raunchy college comedies have usually skirted the issue by inventing their own institutions of higher learning. "Revenge of the Nerds" features the fictional Adams College, while "Animal House," though shot with permission on the University of Oregon campus, takes place in made-up Faber College. Other fictitious schools include Coolidge College ("Van Wilder"), Grand Lakes University ("Back to School") and Harrison University ("Old School").

"American Pie II," when denied licensing permission from both Michigan State University and University of Michigan, resorted to only using the words "Michigan" and "State" separately — never the full names.

Many people on social media were excited at the Purdue cameo. Some were more sarcastic. One Twitter user wrote: "well the two unemployed guys in 'let's be cops' went to purdue so that explains a lot."

"Let's Be Cops" uses off-brand Purdue lettering and never mentions the full name "Purdue University." School officials aren't sure if that's good enough. If the film overstepped its permission to use Purdue's name, then it will be up to the school's legal department to consider action. If that'll actually happen remains to be seen.

"I can't comment on things that haven't been resolved," Wilson said. "I've handed this situation to our legal counsel."