Tom Brady’s bid for “Tom Terrific” trademark rejected

[Pat Patriot]

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There was a bit of a stir in June when Patriots quarterback Tom Brady applied for a trademark on the phrase “Tom Terrific” because that nickname is closely associated with Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver.

While the trademark filing was related to use of the phrase for merchandising, Brady said he didn’t intend to use it that way because he didn’t like the nickname and wanted to block others from using it in association with his name. Brady called it “unfortunate” that he appeared to be pursuing the trademark to interfere with Seaver or his family.

It may all be a moot point now. Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports that the United States Patent and Trademark Office rejected Brady’s application on the grounds that “the applied-for mark consists of or includes matter which may falsely suggest a connection with Tom Seaver.”

Brady has six months to respond to the USPTO’s ruling. If he doesn’t, the application will be abandoned altogether.