Ohio State U trademarks “The”. Really.

[HuskyNan]

 

[MSSportsGuy]

THE sound you heard was me rolling my eyes.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

At least calling it "The" Ohio State University is common.

Out here, they adopted (and I presume trademarked) "UArizona" because U of A was ambiguous (Arkansas? Alabama?). Except in official documents / press you won't see it used. "Go UArizona" doesn't have the same ring as "UofA, UofA, UofA" when you cheer.

If it makes tOSU happy, so be it.

 

[Bigboote]

Does that mean anybody writing (or at least advertising) will have to adopt a lingo in the manner of Ukranian or Chinese, where there are no definite articles?

And how about the UVA stickers that just say THE University?

These things leave one shaking one’s head sometimes. I’ve seen some patents issued that were ridiculously broad, some based on ideas/devices that had been proposed and demonstrated 20 years earlier.

 

[Kaizen]

Not sure what the "The" will help Ohio State? Does this mean other schools or people cannot use "The"? Just waste time and money ... jmho

 

[bballnut90]

So pretentious for a school that isn't even particularly strong academically and only thrives in one mainstream sport

 

[cancontent]

So now that "the" is trademarked, will Miami trademark "U"? Serious question as these schools obviously see this as necessary for marketing purposes.

 

[Bigboote]

So, what’s the fate of The The (new wave/pop band)? do they become Ineffable Ineffable?

 

[ThatCG1801]

Has to be one of THE most ridiculous trademarks to have ever been approved.

 

[Centerstream]

I can't understand eht thinking of eht person that submitted it in eht first place.

 

[JellyBean]

Has to be one of THE most ridiculous trademarks to have ever been approved.

I can just imagine the trademark application process. "They are trying to trademark, The? Literally the most commonly used word in the English language." SMH

 

[UHF]

So will tOSU have a fire sale on everything previously manufactured or printed that does not include

The with superscript TM

 

[huskeynut]

I was a student for two years at Kent State University. It was always The Ohio State. It's no big deal.

 

[HuskyNan]

I was a student for two years at Kent State University. It was always The Ohio State. It's no big deal.

They didn’t trademark The Ohio State, they trademarked The. Just The

 

[Sifaka]

For those unfamiliar with IP (intellectual property) law, this trademark does not give anyone “ownership” of the word the
beyond clearly defined limits: apparel, such as tee shirts, when sold through typical sports channels. Anyone else is free to continue to use the word in speech, writing, and commercial applications other than the one specified.

I'm sure that is a huge relief to The Citadel, The Who, and countless others.

“ […] Ohio State’s trademark is limited to clothing — T-shirts and hats — that are sold through “channels customary to the field of sports and collegiate athletics,” according to its trademark.

That specific focus is why Ohio State trademarking the common word won’t stop other companies from having the word “the” in their names or products, said Josh Gerben, a trademark lawyer. The trademark would be used only if someone were trying to represent Ohio State using the word, he said.
“Ohio State is not going to have a very broad amount of protection over the word,” he said. “This is a very, very narrow registration with very, very narrow enforcement capabilities associated with it.” “

source: Ohio State University Trademarks ‘The’

 

[LwrcasefaN]

This only covers merchandise associated with their school and to separate themselves from other schools with THE same initials (see the 4 bazillion BY "USC" arguments). Took 3 years because Marc Jacobs the designer submitted a patent for the same word. They settled. Both can use it.

 

[BobbyJ]

So now that "the" is trademarked, will Miami trademark "U"? Serious question as these schools obviously see this as necessary for marketing purposes.

U Trademark of University of Miami - Registration Number 4977032 - Serial Number 86769096 :: Justia Trademarks

Clothing, namely, shirts, t-shirts, polo shirts, dresses, skirts, blouses, jackets, coats, fleece pullovers, sweaters, sweatshirts, pants, sweat pants, tank tops, shorts, underwear, briefs, thermal underwear, swim suits, trunks, yoga pants, capri pants, sports bras, bandanas, shoes, belts, caps...

trademarks.justia.com

 

[cancontent]

U Trademark of University of Miami - Registration Number 4977032 - Serial Number 86769096 :: Justia Trademarks

Clothing, namely, shirts, t-shirts, polo shirts, dresses, skirts, blouses, jackets, coats, fleece pullovers, sweaters, sweatshirts, pants, sweat pants, tank tops, shorts, underwear, briefs, thermal underwear, swim suits, trunks, yoga pants, capri pants, sports bras, bandanas, shoes, belts, caps...

trademarks.justia.com

Thanks. Appreciate this.

 

[The deacon]

So pretentious for a school that isn't even particularly strong academically and only thrives in one mainstream sport

Pretentious says is so well.