The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office refused four trademark applications filed by North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick and his girlfriend Jordon Hudson, according to an application obtained by The Athletic.
Belichick was denied the mark “Do your job (Bill’s version).” The reasoning for the refusal, according to the application, is “a likelihood of confusion” with marks that were previously filed by TCE Rights Management, a Massachusetts company managed by Hudson.
On April 3, TCE applied for the trademark of 14 phrases, including, “Do Your Job (Bill’s Version),” “Ignore the Noise (Bill’s Version),” “The Belestrator (Bill’s Version)” and “No Days Off (Bill’s Version).” But the New England Patriots, Belichick’s former NFL employer, hold the rights to the trademarks the Tar Heels coach and Hudson sought.
The Patriots trademarked “The Belestrator” in 2009, “Do Your Job” in 2013 and “No Days Off” and “Ignore the Noise” in 2017. The Patriots also trademarked their team name, “New England Patriots,” their team logo and the phrase “Dough your job,” similar to the phrases Belichick and Hudson hoped to obtain.
The office, which released the refusal on Sept. 3, bars registration of an applied-for mark that is “so similar to a registered mark that it is likely consumers would be confused, mistaken, or deceived as to the commercial source of the goods and/or services of the parties.”
“It was very obvious that the USPTO would refuse these applications from the start,” trademark attorney Josh Gerben of the firm Gerben IP told ESPN on Monday. “They’re too similar. Like, I can’t say I’m going to make ‘Nike shoes (Josh’s version).’ Once somebody has a trademark registered on a name or a phrase, you’re not able to just simply add something to it and get it registered.”
The trademark, according to the document, would’ve been used for keychains and printed matter, such as hats, jackets and clothing. The application also stated that TCE would use the trademark for media uses, such as books, audio, podcasts and video streaming.
The attorney listed for TCE Rights Management, Maren Perry, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Athletic’s Matt Baker contributed to this report.
(Photo: Bob Donnan / Imagn Images)
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