The Ohio State University has successfully trademarked the word “the.”
In a June 21 notice, the US Patent and Trademark Office granted the 152-year old research institution exclusive use of the article for college merchandise such as t-shirts, baseball caps, hats, and other team sports swag.
The ruling is a culmination of the university’s three-year legal campaign, which involved negotiating a settlement with fashion house Marc Jacobs, that had held trademark to the word. The LVMH-owned brand had been using “THE” in purses, sweaters, and $100 t-shirts. Ohio State challenged Marc Jacobs’s trademark to protect its licensing business that generates an average of $12.5 million each year. The two entities have agreed to share the trademark to the word.
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