Tom Brady's 'Tom Terrific' Trademark Denied By Patent Office

FOXBOROUGH, MA — It looks like Tom Brady needs to look for a new nickname — at least if he wants it trademarked. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected the New England Patriots quarterback's request to copyright "Tom Terrific," arguing that nickname already belongs to another great athlete, according to the Associated Press.

This past June, Brady's company TEB Capital applied for the nickname. The problem was that while Tom is certainly known as terrific across New England, that nickname already belongs to hall of fame baseball player Tom Seaver.

Seaver, one of the all-time great pitchers, known for his run with the New York Mets and a short stint in Boston, is the original Tom Terrific.

Seaver never applied for the trademark, but the problem was in the timing. Seaver, 74, recently announced he is leaving public life after being diagnosed with dementia.

Brady told reporters he doesn't even like the nickname and was trying to trademark it to keep others from using it.

"Lesson learned," Brady told reporters, saying he meant no disrespect to Seaver.