Ohio State Seeks Trademark On The Word 'The'

Ohio State seeks to trademark the word 'The.'

Ohio State University submitted an application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in efforts to trademark the word “The.”

They want to use the university’s name on items with the phrase "The Ohio State University" which can be used to market items for sale, which includes "clothing, namely, t-shirts, baseball caps and hats."

The application was submitted on Aug. 8.

“Like other institutions, Ohio State works to vigorously protect the university’s brand and trademarks,” university spokesman Chris Davey said in a statement to the Columbus Dispatch.

“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.

The school has already trademarked the names of former coaches Woody Hayes and Urban Meyer.

Two years ago, Ohio State was in a fight with Oklahoma State University for the use of the acronym OSU on clothing and apparel. The schools agreed that they will both use the acronym.