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How does your college rank in NCAA trademark bracketology?
Brinks Gilson & Lione shareholder pits schools' trademarks against each other as NCAA basketball tournament frenzy begins
Michael N. Spink, a shareholder in the Ann Arbor office of Brinks Gilson & Lione, one of the nation’s largest intellectual property law firms, is putting a new spin on March Madness® with his own form of bracketology.
“I love sports and I love trademarks, and the intersection of both is on display each March as 68 university teams and their trademarks barrage the nation,” Spink said. “Instead of looking at statistical ratings and rankings, I did a run-down of which teams are winners based on the number of trademarks held by their schools. I call it Trivial Trademark™ bracketology.”
Spink, who blogs and tweets @FunkyMarksBlog, painstakingly completed his bracket based on the quantity of federally registered trademarks held by each university participating in the NCAA basketball tournament. He began by searching federal trademark records for active registered trademarks held by each of the 68 teams, using various terms in the query to best identify and attribute ownership to each university. He also selected a favorite trademark for each school, based on its popularity, rarity or quirkiness.
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Because Spink’s methodology is strictly based on quantity, the winner is The University of Arkansas, with the Razorbacks topping the list at 119 federal trademark registrations. Interestingly, they are also one of a few universities who have a registered sound trademark (sound mark), WOO PIG SOOIE, a chant used by the university and its fans in the famous “Calling the Hogs.”
Following Spink’s Trivial Trademark™ bracketology, the Razorbacks defeat the University of Wisconsin Badgers, who tally a respectable 97 trademark registrations. Rounding out the Final Four, are Vanderbilt University and Spink’s alma mater, the University of Michigan (Go Blue!).
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Spink says the tournament itself is awash in trademarks.
“In addition to owning the trademark registration for March Madness, the National Collegiate Athletic Association also owns NCAA, Elite Eight, March Mayhem, America’s Original March Madness, And Then There Were Four, Bracket Town, It’s The Journey and, of course, The Big Dance, among more than 150 registered trademarks,” Spink said.
Spink has previously written about trademark protection for collegiate color combinations, as well as compared the trademarks of two of his home state rivals: Michigan State University and the University of Michigan (Hail to the Victors – the hands down winner!).
For a complete list, check out your favorite school’s completed Trivial Trademark™ bracket below. In the meantime, may the best mascot, color combination or trademark win!
Celebrating its centennial year in 2017, Brinks Gilson & Lione is one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the US, and helps clients around the world to protect and enforce their intellectual property rights. Our more than 140 lawyers, patent agents and scientific advisors assist clients in all aspects of patent, trademark, unfair competition, trade secret, and copyright law. Brinks attorneys provide informed counsel with respect to innovations in a range of complex and valuable technologies, including pharmaceuticals, chemicals, bioengineering, industrial manufacturing, electronics and software, and medical devices. More information is at www.brinksgilson.com.
Team Registered Trademarks
Arkansas 119
Wisconsin 97
Minnesota 93
Vanderbilt 92
Duke 84
Michigan 81
Wake Forest 75
N Carolina 73
USC 73
Miami (FL) 72
Florida 68
Florida St 65
Virginia 61
Arizona 57
Baylor 56
Kansas 56
Northwestern 53
S Carolina 48
Xavier 46
Iowa State 43
Oregon 42
Purdue 40
Kent State 39
South Dakota State 39
Cincinnati 37
VCU 37
Kentucky 34
Notre Dame 33
Michigan St 32
Princeton 30
North Dakota 28
Creighton 26
W Virginia 26
Louisville 24
Vermont 24
Villanova 24
Wichita St 24
VA Tech 22
Bucknell 19
N Mex State 19
Providence 15
Oklahoma St 13
UNC Wilmington 13
Dayton 12
Maryland 12
S Methodist 12
NC Central 11
Rhode Island 10
UCLA 10
Florida Gulf Coast 8
Gonzaga 8
St Mary’s 8
Butler 7
Kansas St 7
Marquette 7
Troy 7
UC Davis 7
East Tennessee St. 6
Middle Tennessee 5
Mount St. Mary’s 5
Seton Hall 5
Iona 4
Texas Southern 4
N. Kentucky 1
New Orleans 1
Jacksonville State 0
Nevada 0
Winthrop 0
