Ohio State is trying to trademark the word 'The'

Ohio State University stadium.
(Image credit: Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

Ever watched Sunday Night Football? Then you're probably familiar with the team's starters introducing themselves on the bottom of the screen early in the game. A little talking head appears, and the NFL player states his name and where he played in college. Often, when an Ohio State University alum shows up— there are many playing in the NFL — he says he went to "The Ohio State University," with an emphasis on the "The."

Well, that is the Columbus school's official name, but it's also become a major part of the Division I athletics powerhouse's brand. And they're looking to capitalize on it. Ohio State filed a request to trademark the article "the" last week for use on clothing such as t-shirts and baseball caps, as discovered by prominent Washington trademark lawyer Josh Gerben on Tuesday evening.

See more

Unfortunately for Buckeye fans, they probably won't get to claim one of the most common article words in the English language all to themselves just yet. Gerben explains that simply putting the word on the front of a hat or a shirt — as the university displayed in specimens in their filing — is not "sufficient" for trademark use. Instead, it needs to be "tagging or labeling" the products.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

He did say that the school will have the opportunity to fix their request, but he said he's a little surprised Ohio State wasn't more sophisticated with their examples, since it's "trademark 101." But, when it comes to the brand, the Buckeyes apparently go big or go home.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.