
August 14, 2019

In the application (
) to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, OSU requested a standard trademark for the word “the” in Ohio State University’s official name that could be used for official school clothing. Currently, all of the college’s merchandise displays the school’s name as “Ohio State University.” However, according to the college’s
, the school’s actual name since 1878 has been “The Ohio State University.”
If approved, OSU’s new trademark would allow the institution to include the word “the” on future apparel items to highlight the official name of the university. In
shared with the USPTO of potential products that could take advantage of the trademark, OSU features “the” prominently displayed across a t-shirt followed by a much-smaller school logo.
“Like other institutions, Ohio
OSU has a long history of licensing its brand to third parties. The school has previously entered partnerships with companies such as
and
.
Read more about:
Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry.
Join 62,000+ members. Yes, it’s completely free.