"'THE'" Is Now A Trademarked Word?
July 11, 2022
On June 21, 2022, The Ohio State University (OSU) added to their $12.5 million-dollar annual trademark and licensing portfolio by officially receiving a registered trademark for the word “THE” from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This does not mean every commercial use of the word “THE” must be licensed from OSU. Instead, the trademark is limited to “clothing, namely, t-shirts,…