Friday, February 01, 2008

Patriots Try to Cash in on Their (yet to be) Undefeated Season


The Super Bowl is coming up on Sunday, with the resurgent New York Giants set to face off against the undefeated New England Patriots. The biggest storyline headed into the game is the fact that the Patriots are trying to become the first team since the 1972 Dolphins to finish a season undefeated. A victory would give the Patriots a 19-0 record, besting the 17-0 record that the 'Fins achieved over 35 years ago.

Not going unnoticed is the Patriots' attempt to subsequently cash in their unprecedented success. On January 17, 2008, representatives from the Patriots filed trademark applications with the USPTO for the trademarks "19-0" and "19-0 The Perfect Season". The move not only would prevent others from profiting from the Patriots' historic season, but it would also allow the team to exclusively sell merchandise with the trademarked words.

As a shot back at the Patriots, the Giants' hometown newspaper, the New York Post, filed paperwork for the trademark "18-1".

We will find out on Sunday if Patriots QB Tom Brady will be sporting a "19-0" t-shirt or if members of the 1972 Dolphins will be lounging around in ones emblazoned with "18-1".