Ohio State files response to trademark “THE” for limited uses in apparel
University’s brand and trademarks support core academic mission of teaching and research
This afternoon, The Ohio State University filed a response to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to pursue a trademark of “THE” for limited uses in apparel.
The following statement on the response should be attributed to Benjamin Johnson, director, media and public relations for The Ohio State University:
“Ohio State has filed a response to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s non-final office action to pursue its application, filed last year, to trademark ‘THE’ for limited uses in apparel. This is a defensive action in response to designer Marc Jacobs’ response to the office action in his application, which includes an example of his intended use that signals a potential encroachment on the established use of ‘THE’ by Ohio State. (See attached photo.) Ohio State’s application is for clothing and is only concerned with applications of “THE” when used in ways that are associated with the university and its brand.
“Like other institutions, Ohio State works to protect the university’s brand and trademarks because these assets hold significant value, which benefits our students and faculty and the broader community by supporting our core academic mission of teaching and research,” he said. “Trademark and licensing interests generate about $15 million in revenue each year to support the university’s students, faculty and staff and our core academic mission of teaching and research.”
