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THE disappointment: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denies Ohio State’s request
Published:
Ohio State’s push to trademark the most popular word in the English language has fallen short.
Wednesday morning, Sports business guru Darren Rovell reported that Ohio State’s attempted trademark for use of the word “The” for merchandise has been denied by the U.S Patent and Trademark Office. The application has been refused, per Rovell.
JUST IN: The US Patent & Trademark Office has issued an initial decision on Ohio State's attempt to trademark the word "THE." They have refused the application.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 11, 2019
Ohio State was hoping to land trademark rights for merchandise it had planned to sell in the future. It got plenty of criticism from social media and even former Buckeye football player and alum Kirk Herbstreit, who called the attempt “arrogant” and “ridiculous.”
To fans, students and alumni, the school is often referred to as THE Ohio State University. While that title hasn’t always been tied with the school, the marketing department tried to take advantage of a new potential avenue for merchandise revenue.
So, for now, this victory belongs to THE U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB