Seattle Seahawks attempting to trademark the number 12, the word 'boom' and more
The Seattle Seahawks’ plane, with its signature “12” on the tail. cpaulfell / Shutterstock.com
As the Seattle Seahawks head for the Super Bowl, one of their hometown newspapers is spotlighting their “aggressive” intellectual property filings.
According to the Seattle Times, the team has filed two dozen trademark applications in 15 months, seeking to trademark relatively common words and phrases, and even the number 12. These include “boom” and “Go Hawks.” The team has also opposed other entities’ trademark applications, including film company Lions Gate’s attempt to trademark the phrase “District 12” from the Hunger Games books and movies.
The team had a prior trademark fight with Texas A&M University, which trademarked “The 12th Man”—indicating that the fans represent the 12th man on the field—about 25 years ago. The university sued the Seahawks in 2006 for using the phrase, and the Seahawks ultimately settled and agreed to pay a licensing fee for limited use, the Associated Press reported at the time. The team raises a flag with “12” on it at the beginning of each game (and may call it a “12th Man” flag). Since then, the newspaper says, the number 12 has been embraced as a Seahawks reference by fans and Seattle-area businesses.
The team has successfully trademarked the design of its flag, but the newspaper says applications to trademark the number 12 in general have been rejected twice because of conflicts with existing trademarks. It’s also pursuing a trademark for the number 12 in the font used on Seahawks jerseys.
Chicago IP attorney Scott Andresen says the Seahawks have “always been a little aggressive” about securing intellectual property rights. He approves: Trademark applications don’t cost much and can help generate more revenue.
But the team’s appetite for trademarks has created conflicts with its own former employees. Chris Johnson, a former vice president of publicity for the Seahawks, filed an application to trademark “12’s” with Washington’s state government, but the Seahawks filed a federal application to trademark the same phrase.
Former Seahawks kicker Norm Johnson and his son, Jordan Johnson, applied to trademark “12 Nation” federally, which the Seahawks have opposed. Jordan Johnson says he’s abandoning his application because he doesn’t have the resources to fight the team. The Seahawks declined to comment.
Outsiders have brought more robust opposition. The NHL, the league of the Chicago Blackhawks, and the NBA, which includes the Atlanta Hawks, have opposed the application to trademark “Go Hawks.” And the federal examining attorney suspended the request to trademark the word “boom,” the newspaper said, because of confusion concerns.
