NFL WANTS TO TRADEMARK "THE BIG GAME," FOOTBALL, THE WORD "BOOM"

by Orson on Mar 1, 2007 9:35 AM EST

Filed directly under trademark law run rampant--and who says geekery and football don't run hand in hand?--the NFL is seeking to trademark the phrase "The Big Game," a phrase with a dual history in the pro and collegiate spheres. (HT: John.)

Because of the inanity of S*p*r Bowl copyright laws, everyone from Schleppy's Pizza to Best Buy attempts to cash in on selling goods associated with the game by referring to it as "The Big Game" prior to S*p*r Bowl Sunday, a curious bit of verbiage your ear may have picked up as peculiar periphrasis in the rather direct world of advertising. The reason? Not being Official Sponsors of The S*p*r Bowl, they cannot use the proper name, and thus duck under the bar by simply referring to "The B#g G#m3."

Football post-trademark laws: we were going to use this stock image, but someone's got the copyright.

(Memo from EDSBS LEGAL: the NFL has previewed this post and requested the removal of all trademarked language. We'll put it in language your puny non-lawyer brain can understand: President Camacho suggests you comply, vato. That goes for any references to the NFL's championship game, the B#g G#me, or any other language they own. We'll proof this for your protection afterwards. For reference, see NFL White Paper #48: Rules Regarding the English Language. All references hereafter refer to it.)

The B*g G#m3 (NFL White Paper #48) in collegiate terms refers to the historical tussle between Stanford and Cal, a name that through recent years has been applied more sarcastically than in reality. Nevertheless, the two f00tba77 (ibid.) t*amz (ibid.) have been playing together under the moniker since 1902, according to Cal f00tba77 (ibid.) historian Ron Fimrite. (Everyone's got their specialties, we suppose. Imagine if your IRB proposal involved getting board permission to interview Steve Mariucci. Geeking out done, we continue.)

Cal and Stanford are countering the NFL claim by running to the arms of Collegiate Licensing Inc., our neighbors here in Atlanta who play the unusual part of hero here. They will likely grant the game its own brand name as the "Ir0n B0w7" and "Teh R3d R1v3r Sh00t0ut" (hey, just being careful! one angry legal entity at a time!) have, and then k1ckk0ff the legal fireworks from there. It'll be a tough issue to tAck73, (ibid.) sure, but that's what lawyers are for.

Our prediction: the NFL gets up by a few t0uchd0wnZ (ibid), the Cal/Standford reps fight back with ferocious off3ns3 (ibid.), and the whole g@m3 comes down to a legal f13lD g0al (how many times are you going to make us do this? Ibid.) Then, B00m! (ibid.) The B*g G#m3 lives again.

By the way: the first google image result for "The Big Game?" Not what you'd think. At. All.

The Big Game Lip Grabber. Now suing the NFL for naming rights.

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Comments

Yet another thinly veiled post harrasing the Buffa703’$ – that there is a photo of VY scoring again in the 05 B12 Game. 70-3!!!!! ACK

I guess Buffa703’$ are B*g G#m3 at EDSBS.

by Rashaan Salaam on Mar 1, 2007 10:00 AM EST reply actions

No way—your coach is awesome, brother.

by Orson Swindle on Mar 1, 2007 10:05 AM EST reply actions

Funny, when I hit the Google link, the first thing that popped up was an MSNBC picture of Brady Quinn saying that he’d failed to grab a big game again.

That “anti-Domer” plug-in for Firefox really works.

by DC Trojan on Mar 1, 2007 10:05 AM EST reply actions

Beat me to the punch, DC. Hats off to you.

by Out of Conference on Mar 1, 2007 10:09 AM EST reply actions

Do you think the NFL will now move to copyright the phrase, “Over-hyped Halftime Show featuring Washed Up 80s Stars” or perhaps “Game that’s mostly watched for commercials, that also end up sucking”?

by RaginCajunRebel on Mar 1, 2007 10:12 AM EST reply actions

Orson 8rotha – the 7ove is Britn3y approved

by Rashaan Salaam on Mar 1, 2007 10:13 AM EST reply actions

The NFL is also going to copyright, “Overly homosexually themed pre-game flaming extravaganza and unnecessary French grapesmuggling revue”

by irishoutsider on Mar 1, 2007 10:15 AM EST reply actions

RCR, don’t know what halftime show you were watching this year (Lingerie bowl?) but the ARTIST’s performance achieved “save until I delete” status on my DVR.

by Kerwin4two on Mar 1, 2007 10:18 AM EST reply actions

I had a little trouble with the first half of this article and just felt like saying,
“Well, don’t wanna sound like a dick or nothin’, but, uh, it says on your chart that you’re fucked up. Uh, you talk like a fag, and your shit’s all retarded.” Luckily you put it in terms I could understand to wrap it up. Is Idiocracy screened once a week in the Swindle household?

by Nick on Mar 1, 2007 10:26 AM EST reply actions

The NFL doesn’t know who they’re dealing with here. I have a feeling Donald O’Brien and Dylan Murphy won’t let this pass without a fight.

They will add the NFL to the list along with the Jews, who steal our money through their Zionist occupied government, and the black man, who bring drugs into our oppressed white minority communities.

by Scott on Mar 1, 2007 10:29 AM EST reply actions

CLC playing the hero… that’s great… that’s rich… it is to laugh.

Why don’t you do a litlle investigative reporting on what CLC is doing to “help” Nike secure exclusives on replicas and performance wear. Interestingly enough, CLC separates product into catagories like fleece, tees, caps, women’s… except when it comes to performance, they just throw it all in one. So Nike gets the exclusive on performance fleece, tees, caps, womens, etc. At the rate they’re going, in five years, you’ll only be able to buy collegiate licesned product from Nike.

If that idea doesn’t bother you, take another look at Oregon’s uniforms.

by PeterPumpkinhead on Mar 1, 2007 10:33 AM EST reply actions

Peter—thus the “unusual part of hero” bit.

Nick—weekly at least from here ‘till meme fatigue kicks in. We’ve already sworn allegiance to President Hector Elizando Camacho.

South Carolina, what’s up!

by Orson Swindle on Mar 1, 2007 10:35 AM EST reply actions

Ah, the poignant House of Representin’ scene… brought to you by Carl’s Jr.

by Nick on Mar 1, 2007 11:05 AM EST reply actions

“weekly at least from here ’till meme fatigue kicks in.”

There’s that fag talk we talked about…

by irishoutsider on Mar 1, 2007 11:19 AM EST reply actions

Hey! I remember a time when reading wasn’t just for fags.

by Orson Swindle on Mar 1, 2007 11:24 AM EST reply actions

Maybe and even better assortment from g00gl3 when you enclose “th3 B1g gam3” in quotes. . . At least with my fascinations with drunken lions and hung elv1s.

by walt on Mar 1, 2007 11:31 AM EST reply actions

Orson to NFL: PWN3D! U r teh suxxx0rs

K. That’s all I have. Sorry.

by Newspaper Hack on Mar 1, 2007 12:19 PM EST reply actions

Hey DC, need some advice. I’ll be going to a Millwall match at the Den on Saturday. What type of body armor should I wear, and should I make my will out at this point?

by Rusty on Mar 1, 2007 12:57 PM EST reply actions

This is great news….A few more permutations and soon the non-sponsers ads will look like those awesome Japanese translations…

Pick up you new HDTV to view the Grand Ultimate Final!

by Pants McPants on Mar 1, 2007 1:10 PM EST reply actions

Hey DC, need some advice. I’ll be going to a Millwall match at the Den on Saturday. What type of body armor should I wear, and should I make my will out at this point?

Are you in the home end or the away end? If the latter, well, there’s no body armor that will withstand a knife or a beating – unless you borrow some from a medieval castle, which might be too obvious.

So, I recommend standing next to someone who’s obviously slower on the run than you.

If that fails, play the innocent tourist besotted with real football in the League.

If that fails, I’m very sorry.

by DC Trojan on Mar 2, 2007 1:27 AM EST reply actions

a friend of mine works for a company that might sometimes show some games that involve a ball that is ellipsoid in nature, and he pointed out that apparently, they aren’t allowed to use the letters: (the one after M) (the one after E) and (the one after K)… to promote that they show the games on the local sites.

(as a side note, it took me around 5 minutes of going through the alphabet “dictionary style” to figure out what letters came before N F and L)

[name of professional football championship game redacted] perhaps?

by jon on Mar 2, 2007 6:10 AM EST reply actions

Thanks DC. Fortunately I’m in the home end, so there’ll be no need to pillage the local castle.

by rusty on Mar 2, 2007 7:01 AM EST reply actions

I like the NFL as much as anyone but this is off-the-charts ludicrous. I think this really begs the question: Has the NFL gotten too powerful? When you look at just retarded things like this, the answer has to be yes. When you hear the words: The Big Game. I always, always, always think Cal/Stanford. And I grew up on the East coast. I never think of the Super Bowl. www.patrickdonohue.wordpress.com

by Patrick on Mar 2, 2007 1:37 PM EST reply actions