Ohio State University Has Officially Trademarked The Word 'The'

Trademark attorney Josh Gerben broke the news Tuesday morning via Twitter, announcing that the trademark was approved just the day before.

This ultimately guaranteed OSU the right to feature the word, commonly cited as the most common word in the English language, on “clothing, namely, T-shirts, baseball caps and hats; all of the foregoing being promoted, distributed and sold through channels customary to the field of sports and collegiate athletics.”

“Ohio State is pleased to have received a trademark for THE on branded products associated with and sold through athletics and collegiate channels,” Ben Johnson, OSU’s senior director of media and public relations, noted.

“THE has been a rallying cry in the Ohio State community for many years and Buckeye fans who purchase official Ohio State gear support student scholarships, libraries and other university initiatives,” he continued, adding further context to the initiative as it’s common to hear people refer to OSU as “THE Ohio State University.”

However, it’s worth noting that not all alums are on board. In 2014, former OSU quarterback Kirk Herbstreit said he refused to call the institution “THE Ohio State University,” calling the practice “pompous and stupid.”

Kirk Herbstreit: I have NEVER said ‘The’ Ohio State, and I never will. It is pompous and stupid.

— Mark Blankenbaker (@UofLSheriff50) April 11, 2014

OSU has been vying for the minimalistic trademark since 2019, as Blavity previously reported.

“Like other institutions, Ohio State works to vigorously 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,” OSU officials said in a statement at the time.

The Ohio State University has filed a trademark application on the word “THE.”

The filing, made on August 8th, indicates #OhioState is offering a brand of “THE” clothing.

Not sure how ‘The U’ will feel about this one.

My analysis 👇:#BuckeyeNation #MiamiHurricanes pic.twitter.com/1UvLOAOnIc

— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) August 13, 2019

Despite being filed back in August 2019, the trademark was recently approved because OSU was essentially engaged in a competition with the Marc Jacobs fashion company to get dibs on “THE.”

However, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected both parties’ applications over the word “ornamental.” Undeterred, OSU eventually contested this, modifying its application and noting that the trademark was not “merely decorative or ornamental,” according to Sports Illustrated.

As a result, the university’s request was ultimately granted.

Will you be copping “THE” merch from OSU?