atM suing Seahawks??? [Archive] - SoonerFans.com Message Boards

Hatfield

1/30/2006, 05:49 PM

Texas A&M considers suing Seattle Seahawks

Jeremy Muck
January 30, 2006

This week, the Seattle Seahawks are gearing up for the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance ever.

Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t the only opponent on the docket for the Seahawks. Administrators at Texas A&M University are considering suing the Seahawks organization for using their trademark of the 12th Man moniker. Texas A&M has used the 12th Man name since 1922, when student E. King Gill was called down to the sidelines during a game against Centre College. Gill was known as the 12th Man because “he stood ready for duty in the event that the eleven men on the gridiron needed assistance.” Over 80 years later at Kyle Field in College Station, the entire A&M student body is known as the 12th Man.

I love college football, especially the traditions that come with the sport. The 12th Man isn’t the only Texas A&M tradition. The students gather at midnight the night before an Aggie home game for the Midnight Yell. In addition, A&M students build an annual bonfire that symbolizes their desire to beat the University of Texas, a game that is usually played the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend. No doubt about it, the students and alumni of Texas A&M are very proud of their traditions.

During the 1980s, the Kingdome was the loudest stadium in the National Football League. So the Seahawks retired the number 12 in 1984 to honor their fans. This was six years before Texas A&M filed a registered trademark of the 12th Man name! Six years! Until this season, the Seahawks had not won a playoff game since 1984. While the rest of the country doesn’t know it, I know very well how loyal Seahawks fans have been. Believe it or not, there is such a thing as a Seahawks fan: I’m one of them.

Since 2003, the Seahawks have raised a flag with the number 12 on it before every home game at Qwest Field. The Seahawks have sold #12 jerseys, but with “Fan” on the back instead of “Man”. Over the past couple of weeks, the #12 flag has been flown on top of the Space Needle in Seattle as well as several prominent buildings in the Pacific Northwest. Notice that I did not refer to the flag as the “12th Man Flag”. Neither have the Seahawks.

Texas A&M has been very good to the Seahawks organization over the years. Former All-Pro defensive end Jacob Green is in the Seahawks’ Ring of Honor. Current Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Sam Adams was the Seahawks’ 1st round pick in 1994. Defensive tackle Rocky Bernard is the only Aggie on the Seahawks’ current roster. He recorded 8.5 sacks during the 2005 regular season and is a key player on the Seahawks’ defensive line.

If the students, alumni, and administration are truly hurt by the Seahawks using the #12 to honor their fans, then that’s too bad. It’s just funny how Texas A&M just now brings up the issue, when the Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl. Maybe the folks in College Station just want some attention to be paid toward their school. After all, there’s a certain school in Austin that is home to the national champions. Besides, don’t worry about what a pro football team tucked in the Northwest is doing. Worry about your own football program that failed to live up to expectations in 2005, A&M faithful. Heck, when was the last time Texas A&M was a meaningful football power?

Go gig em’, Aggies. This is another battle that you won’t win.

Hatfield

1/30/2006, 05:50 PM

Rock Hard Corn Frog

1/30/2006, 05:57 PM

Little known fact about the Twelth Man:

A Texas A&M woman once claimed it took twelve Aggie men to satisfy them because the men took got too excited and started whooping...also please don't ask how Collies are involved.

Herr Scholz

1/30/2006, 06:09 PM

...isn't the 12th man supposed to help, you know, win games?

If that's the case, aggy's losing for sure. They have no claim to it.

Jason White's Third Knee

1/30/2006, 06:10 PM

Yeah, but the 12th man thing is marketable. Could be a trade infringement.

NormanPride

1/30/2006, 06:16 PM

I think this should be thrown out on accounts of nobody gives a ****.

BOOMERBRADLEY

1/30/2006, 06:51 PM

On PTI Mike Wilbon said

"Shut up! A&M is self absorbed, arogant and have ne legitimate argument"

Quack 10

1/30/2006, 07:16 PM

I hear the Bank Machines' claim goes back to the 20s, when some kid who probably looked a lot like "stunned aggie" waited to run onto the field "in case the team needed him."

I'm no Sea-Aints fan, but I can tell you that the so-called "12th man tradition" does go back to the "Ground Chuck" days of the early 80s in the Kingdome. Pit that it was, the Kingdome was freakin' loud, especially when the Raiders and Broncos came to town.

One last thing, if one compares records from 1976 forward (the year Seattle entered) one will find that the Seahawks are not close to the bottom of the NFL barrel, all-time anyway.

jkm, the stolen pifwafwi

1/30/2006, 07:19 PM

mount si?

Octavian

1/30/2006, 08:24 PM

soooo aggy

Shaz-Bot

1/30/2006, 08:59 PM

Somehow, those turds in College Station always find a way to p*ss me off...

Cam

1/30/2006, 09:06 PM

Ignant

OUGreg723

1/30/2006, 09:16 PM

**** A&M IN THE ***!! I HATE ALL OF THOSE MORONIC POOP HEADS!

lexsooner

1/30/2006, 09:33 PM

a friend of mine's thoughts on all this:

several funny parts of this

1) its hysterical that the seahawks (seahawks!) fans consider themselves the 12th man. what exactly has their support garnered the franchise until this year? they are one of the worst franchises in history. isn't the 12th man supposed to help, you know, win games?

2) is anyone surprised that aggienation would be uspet enough to sue? list eating cheerleader sabreing whoop whoops are more obessesd with lame asss traditions than anyone on the planet.

3) even more ironic is the fact that several of the main aggie traditions were stolen from west point. you don't see west point suing aggie.

Rest easy in knowing the aggies did not steal West Point's greatest tradition: mandatory military service after graduation. Most of these cadet corps skinheads in aggieland are not in ROTC and will never serve in the real military after graduation. Most, in other words, are play soldiers. However, you can be assured these zit-faced burrheads will wear their stupid third-tier college rings and brag about their traditions and great times in the corp for the rest of their lives, while real soldiers do all their fighting for them. The cadet corps today is essentially a mass of young, right wing, Texas chicken hawks.

Bama/OU

1/30/2006, 09:35 PM

The Seahawks "12th man" seems to be more effective than the Aggies "12th man".

Seahawks = 13-3
aTm = 5-6

SoonerStormchaser

1/30/2006, 09:52 PM

Well...since they didn't get their millions from the bowl payout...they have to get their annual $$ somehow. I guess they didn't make enough from their sheep brothels this year!

lufkinaggie07

1/31/2006, 01:39 AM

We're just protecting our trademark, like any normal business or university.

OUTromBoNado

1/31/2006, 01:52 AM

a&m = ghey

I got nuthin'.

OUTromBoNado

1/31/2006, 01:55 AM

We're just protecting our trademark, like any normal business or university.

So, does that mean that anytime an announcer refers to a crowd at any stadium other than Kyle Field, a&m is going to sue? I've heard many an announcer refer to the crowd at several stadiums as the "12th man."

It's just like the "6th man" in basketball.

Another question....if this was 8-man football, and somebody called the crowd the "9th man," would a&m still sue?

ouflak

1/31/2006, 05:21 AM

I will say this with personal bias against pro sports. I just don't think any proffessional sport has a right to claim something as spirited as the concept of a 12th man. Proffesional sports is all about money and contracts. College sports are about pride. College teams can have that 12th man effect. No pro team will ever have claim to kind of spirit.

Now that said, there is the reality of money in both college and pro sports. They both have large marketing interests and generate a lot of money for a lot of people. This idea of litigation is very strange to me. How do you copyright a concept, particularly a very general concept that can apply to anybody? *shrug* Well it's happened before, it will happen again. I just think that A&M ought to leave anything such as a legal battle out of it. I suspect they will lose and they will certainly accrue some major embarrassment along the way.

snp

1/31/2006, 07:16 AM

Correction flak, college sports were about pride. Ford Bedlam Battle, SBC RRS, Chick-Fil-A-Stupid Bowl, etc etc. College sports are selling out like nickle beer.

...However, you can be assured these zit-faced burrheads will wear their stupid third-tier college rings...

Uh, A&M is a pretty decent school. Link (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_10366_brief.php)

Heh, they list it as "Urban"...

Octavian

1/31/2006, 08:34 AM

theres that B word again...

Shaz-Bot

1/31/2006, 09:46 AM

I think you have to show that the public are likely to be mislead when litigating an infringement case.

I guarantee that no one has mistaken the Aggies for a championship team in a loooooong time. (ba-dum-ching).

Plus, I don't know if ATM wants to get into a tangle with Squawk owner Paul Allen, aka the third richest man in the U.S.

sooneron

1/31/2006, 09:56 AM

I thought it was kind of stupid when I saw that at the nfc champ game.

Herr Scholz

1/31/2006, 10:31 AM

We're just protecting our trademark, like any normal business or university.
If that were the case, your school would have done something about the Seahawks when they started doing this in the 80s. Instead, you guys choose to do this the week of the Super Bowl during Seattle's finest hour? Reflects poorly on aggy I think.

Mac94

1/31/2006, 10:33 AM

This is really being blown up by the internet and the media. Schools and corporations protect their trademarks all the time. This is nothing new for A&M nor other schools. A&M has, that I know of, gone after the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears, as well as ESPN, and won in issues over the "12th Man" trademark. We have been dealing with Seattle now for two or three years over this. Other schools protect their logos and trademarks, although it rarely ever makes big news. Texas drove a small "mom and pop" restaurant out of business here in Austin years ago that called themselves "Bevo's." Texas called in the lawyers claiming trademark infringement and the owners didn't have the money to take on the school. This is nothing new. The only real difference here is the media frenzy over all of this.

Big Red Ron

1/31/2006, 10:37 AM

We're just protecting our trademark, like any normal business or university.
During the 1980s, the Kingdome was the loudest stadium in the National Football League. So the Seahawks retired the number 12 in 1984 to honor their fans. This was six years before Texas A&M filed a registered trademark of the 12th Man name! Six years!Sounds like you have an iffy at best argument aggy.

Mac94

1/31/2006, 10:39 AM

Big Red Ron

1/31/2006, 10:43 AM

Herr -

Well, there are several issues regarding their use since the 1980's. First, did A&M know? Let's face it, Seattle Seahawk football just doens't get alot of coverage in Texas, esp since they have not been a dominate NFL team. It's not like the Texas media covers their organization or that the local TV affiliates cover their games. Second, Seattle retired the #12 jersey, from my understanding, in the mid 1980's but since the trademark is on the "12th Man" name itself, that may not be any infringement, nor would a flag wit the #12 on it. But, since Seattle started gaining some success, they may have started marketing and merchanising the actual "12th Man" name much more recently. We started contact over this a few years ago. Anyway, this is really a technical issue on what is a trademark infringement and what isn't issue that the lawyers willl have to deal with.Honestly, how would people in Seatle know about some silly little traditions of an equally average football school in Texas.

BTY their thingy is 12th Fan not Man. Judge laughs, case closed.

Rock Hard Corn Frog

1/31/2006, 10:54 AM

So, maybe if Seattle let one fan wear a #12 and play on kickoff coverage I might see how the idea was stolen. Well that and if Seattle started burying their dogs around the stadium and whooping during the closing seconds of a blowout loss.

I still think 12th man sounds like aggie men are having a tough time pleasing the aggie ladies....

Also if this tradition was picked up by the CFL could Antonio Banderas have a lawsuit?

Mac94

1/31/2006, 10:55 AM

Honestly, how would people in Seatle know about some silly little traditions of an equally average football school in Texas.

Wouldn't expect them to, but to my knowledge that isn't an excuse for any possible trademark infringement. If any has occured is an issue for the lawyers and a court, but a school or company protecting what they leagally have trademarked is not "big news." It happens all the time. But, for whatever reason, this case is getting alot of media attention.

Frozen Sooner

1/31/2006, 10:55 AM

Herr -

Well, there are several issues regarding their use since the 1980's. First, did A&M know? Let's face it, Seattle Seahawk football just doens't get alot of coverage in Texas, esp since they have not been a dominate NFL team. It's not like the Texas media covers their organization or that the local TV affiliates cover their games. Second, Seattle retired the #12 jersey, from my understanding, in the mid 1980's but since the trademark is on the "12th Man" name itself, that may not be any infringement, nor would a flag wit the #12 on it. But, since Seattle started gaining some success, they may have started marketing and merchanising the actual "12th Man" name much more recently. We started contact over this a few years ago. Anyway, this is really a technical issue on what is a trademark infringement and what isn't issue that the lawyers willl have to deal with.

Yeah, because nobody from A&M has ever played for the Chickens or owned an NFL season pass or lived in Seattle and bought Chicken season tickets. I mean, gosh, how could poor lil' Aggie have EVER been expected to know about this?

Chickens win this case if they let it get to litigation. The usage has been prominent enough and long enough that the term 12th Man would be ruled to be generic, and there is little chance of confusion between Chicken and Aggie football and zero chance that usage of 12th Man (or Fan) would imply an endorsement of Chicken football by Aggie.

Mac94

1/31/2006, 11:07 AM

Frozen -

That is true, and is a case for Seattle and it is an issue they will bring up. But, the issue, as I understand it, is a bit more muddied than that. Yeah, they retired a #12 jersey in 1984, but is that a violation? Did they market merchandise or their organization with the "12th Man" mark back then or do they now?

I have read that when this started a few years ago that Seattle tried to pay for the right to use the "12th Man" name. The reported sum was $10,000 for 10 years. That in and of itself seems to indicate that the Seattle organization recognized that A&M had some kind of rights to the name.

Again, this is all for the lawyers to decide. This type of thing is nothing new for schools or companies.

Frozen Sooner

1/31/2006, 11:08 AM

Or it could be an indication that they thought that $10k was a cheap price to pay to not have to fight what amounts to a nuisance lawsuit.

OklahomaTrombone

1/31/2006, 11:16 AM

I heard A&M didn't copyright 12th Man until around '92 or so.

So since Seattle had been using 12th Man before then will that matter?

Mac94

1/31/2006, 11:28 AM

Frozen -

Possible, but their legal staff would have to know that we have fought this before. We stopped the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills from using the 12th Man before and stopped ESPN from using the name in a "12th Man contest" they started years and years ago. It's not like A&M hasn't done this before.

From what I can gather, though, is that this case is more muddied and really kind of an accidental case of two traditions that we similar that, because of one organizations success, may have crossed the line into a trademark infringment. I say may because, again, that is an issue for the courts.

Around these parts, many know of A&M's 12th Man tradition, and because it has become a part of the schools identity, A&M successfully trademarked the phrase "12th Man."

Of course, the phrase itself is a part of football lingo, and is used in cassual conversation and in the press, etc.

Because of this, Seattle probably picked up on the idea in the 1980's (probably not from us) and retired the #12 in honor of their fans. I am not a lawyer (just work around to many of them) but from my understanding, this is not an issue. The trademark would be on the marking and merchandisig of the "12th Man" name. Retiring a jersey and raising a flag with the #12 on it wouldn't violate that. I don't know if anything else was done or not as I am not overly familar with the Seahawks only having passively followed them for a brief time when the Boz played for them.

Anyway, with Seattles recent success, I am sure that the Seahawks and independent companies are producing and selling alot of Seahawk gear. It's only natural in times of success (you should see the supermarkets here in the Austin area ... GEEZ ... but I digress). And, they may be producing stuff with the trademarked "12th Man" name. Again, the details are for the courts and those that have the legal knowledge to determine what is an infringement or not.

All I am saying is that A&M has the right to defend what they have legally trademarked, as does any school or company. The merits of this case, as in any case, will be deciced by those far more knowledgeable than you or
I.

Big Red Ron

1/31/2006, 11:30 AM

I heard A&M didn't copyright 12th Man until around '92 or so.

So since Seattle had been using 12th Man before then will that matter?That's my point too.

Mac94

1/31/2006, 11:43 AM

OklahomaTrombone -

I've heard that with trademarks thar prior use makes no difference once the trademark is given. Use before another gains a trademark is not a defense in an infringement case after the trademark has been issued. Again, thats just what I've heard in regards to this case and that issue. Again, something for the courts and lawyers.

crawfish

1/31/2006, 11:46 AM

I hear they're sending up a contingent of cadets with sabers. :)

Mac94

1/31/2006, 11:52 AM

crawfish -

Well, it's always good to have a backup plan. ;)

Rock Hard Corn Frog

1/31/2006, 11:52 AM

The teams should meet on the field and settle it!:D

TexasLidig8r

1/31/2006, 12:05 PM

In related news.. aggy just announced they have instituted class action litigation against these guys...

http://www.atmlegends.com/pic/Qualtex.jpg whoop.. hump it.. whoop

OklahomaTrombone

1/31/2006, 12:10 PM

Lid - I want you to become my lawyer and copyright every single screen name on soonerfans and then sue them all for copyright infringement.

We'll split the cash 50/50

TexasLidig8r

1/31/2006, 12:38 PM

Lid - I want you to become my lawyer and copyright every single screen name on soonerfans and then sue them all for copyright infringement.

We'll split the cash 50/50

bwahahahaha.. and then.. we will selectively sell back some of their names to the highest bidder...

I like it...:D

Big Red Ron

1/31/2006, 01:28 PM

Shouldn't aTm just be happy that they are affilliated in some way, albeit a very small way with a winning football team?

footballfanatic

1/31/2006, 01:39 PM

Rest easy in knowing the aggies did not steal West Point's greatest tradition: mandatory military service after graduation. Most of these cadet corps skinheads in aggieland are not in ROTC and will never serve in the real military after graduation. Most, in other words, are play soldiers. However, you can be assured these zit-faced burrheads will wear their stupid third-tier college rings and brag about their traditions and great times in the corp for the rest of their lives, while real soldiers do all their fighting for them. The cadet corps today is essentially a mass of young, right wing, Texas chicken hawks.

A&M had more officers serve in WW2 than West Point. A lot of Aggies do go on to serve, and you should be respectful of that, regardless of your political leanings.

1stTimeCaller

1/31/2006, 01:43 PM

A&M had more officers serve in WW2 than West Point. A lot of Aggies do go on to serve, and you should be respectful of that, regardless of your political leanings.

He's not making fun of those that serve. He's making fun of those that play dress up in college and then don't serve.

Reading comprehension is fun, you should try it.

Herr Scholz

1/31/2006, 01:59 PM

A&M had more officers serve in WW2 than West Point. A lot of Aggies do go on to serve, and you should be respectful of that, regardless of your political leanings.
I am respectful of their service but it's not true that they supplied more officers than West Point.

Texas A&M had 20,229 cadets and graduates fight in World War II. This was twice as many participants as the Citadel and Virginia Military Institute (VMI) combined. A&M lost 953 men in battle --two to three times the number from other military institutions.

http://www.thebatt.com/media/paper657/news/2001/10/03/Ams125th/The-Corps-515911.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.thebatt.com

Big Red Ron

1/31/2006, 02:00 PM

A&M had more officers serve in WW2 than West Point. A lot of Aggies do go on to serve, and you should be respectful of that, regardless of your political leanings.Uhm, what about Vietnam, Iraq, Iraq II, afganistan and Kosivo?

I went to a real Military school and aTm grads are generally considered "bullet catchers."

Mac94

1/31/2006, 02:15 PM

Big Red Ron -

We've had plenty in those as well. The Former Student Assc. has a web site for those guys, and there are a ton of them. As for "bullet catchers," my step dad (ret Col. and Nam vet) has joked about the same thing. Haven't heard that much about the more recent A&M grads in the military (post Nam to today), but have from the Nam era. Granddad was a West Pointer and WWII vet and never really said anything bad about Aggie grads, an uncle who was a West Pointer and a Nam vet, though, has, but another uncle that went to Kansas St and went through ROTC and was a career officer post Nam never said anything bad about A&M grads (and he wasn't to fond of A&M, long story).

lufkinaggie07

1/31/2006, 02:18 PM

If Paul Allen wants to take this to court he will lose, he's not stupid, this won't go to court.

Big Red Ron

1/31/2006, 02:19 PM

Mac94

1/31/2006, 02:29 PM

No problem. IMHO, the best Corps jokes always revolve around Gomer Pyle references and charactures. Of course, we Ags are the best at ragging on our own. If you want the best Corps insults ask a BQ (Aggie band member), and if you want the best band insults, ask a CT (Corps member).

Shaz-Bot

1/31/2006, 03:10 PM

If Paul Allen wants to take this to court he will lose, he's not stupid, this won't go to court.

Thanks for the brilliant legal analysis, Shapiro.

lufkinaggie07

1/31/2006, 04:39 PM

We have the trademark, it doesn't take a legal mind to understand that if you use someone elses trademark you lose in court.

soonerscuba

1/31/2006, 04:45 PM

And Aggie shall continue to wonder why they are the butt of all jokes.

TexasLidig8r

1/31/2006, 04:46 PM

We have the trademark, it doesn't take a legal mind to understand that if you use someone elses trademark you lose in court.

Unless the trademark has been abandoned by knowingly permitting another to use it.

Or, if the trademark was improvidently granted, i.e, there was prior usage by another before the trademark was issued. In that case, the trademark could be voidable.

Also, trademarks apply to goods or services. To what specific goods or services does the aggy trademark apply? The student section as a whole? The student and alumni at football games alone? If the 12th Man trademark in actuality applies to an incorporeal concept, an idea, a concept, then Seattle can argue that the trademark was inappropriately granted.

Trademarks are simply the start of the analysis... not the end.

Rock Hard Corn Frog

1/31/2006, 04:47 PM

We have the trademark, it doesn't take a legal mind to understand that if you use someone elses trademark you lose in court.

LOOK OUT! They have the trademark!:eek:

Quack 10

1/31/2006, 05:09 PM

mount si?

Yep, all 4,700-plus feet of it.

Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?

lufkinaggie07

1/31/2006, 07:16 PM

I wonder what we'll do with all that money from Paul Allen.

soonerscuba

1/31/2006, 07:19 PM

I wonder what we'll do with all that money from Paul Allen.

Probably throw it in that money pit you call an athletics program, and come out, yet again, an aggie.

lexsooner

1/31/2006, 09:13 PM

What makes the Aggies so annoying is they are afflicted by the same thing as are so many members of other organizations with ingrained traditions and rituals: they somehow think they are truly special, even though they are not. Members of fraternities and grads of other schools or members of some social organizations live under the same delusions. Worse yet, so many of these folks truly think others admire them and wish to be part of them, when the opposite is true.

Frat boys or aggies can do all as many contorted ghey secret handshakes as they want and show off their ghey secret tattoos, but 99.99 percent of the rest of the world does not care and/or finds it comical. To the rest of the world, these Aggies or ghey frat boys might as well be wearing dopey North African Shriners caps with tassles, or Masonic symbols. It's all the same tribal crap to most people.

Aggie Station is a good engineering school, but it's not an elite school. Many of their traditions are borrowed. It is safe to say the Aggies have produced fine engineers, farmers, and some business people for the state of Texas and the Southwest, as well as some military officers. Nevertheless, it's no more than a respected regional engineering school, and it is not terribly difficult to get accepted into. No, nobody but aggies and their cohorts or minions wish to be part of it.

I can honestly say none of the "clubs" I have seen with true power or are "special" are anywhere near College Station or this part of the country. If you want to see true power and a network of movers and shakers, take a gander at the worldwide network of grads of truly elite schools, Ivy League, west coast, D.C. and Chicago areas. Until I started working, I did not realize how grads of these schools, esp. their law and business schools dominated the power structure of this country, whether in government, academia, or in business. My cousin is a Harvard Law grad, and that fact alone opens so many doors for her. Nope, few aggies need apply, and no, grads of these schools don't have the stupid traditions the aggies have. These folks are usually unpretentious because they have the juice and know it and don't have to show anyone anything. The aggies, on the other hand, will always just be aggies: a national joke.

Cam

1/31/2006, 09:21 PM

If Paul Allen wants to take this to court he will lose, he's not stupid, this won't go to court.
Wouldn't it be funny if instead of Paul Allen letting this go to court, he just decided to buy the whole damn school?

I know, it's a state university and won't/can't be sold. It'd still be funny since he actually could afford it.

Cam

1/31/2006, 09:30 PM

and no, grads of these schools don't have the stupid traditions the aggies have. These folks are usually unpretentious because they have the juice and know it and don't have to show anyone anything.
How the hell did my company end up with the only ones that have dumbass traditions and are pretentious as hell? :mad:

Direct quote from an MIT grad: "I have an MBA from MIT, I don't pull data." He also didn't know how the hell to interpret it either. Dude was great at academic theory, but completely useless when it came to real world business cases.

I'll give the Harvard boys one thing, they sure as hell can put away the booze. Them boys sho do know how to drink.

Big Red Ron

1/31/2006, 09:47 PM

I'll give the Harvard boys one thing, they sure as hell can put away the booze. Them boys sho do know how to drink.Seriously, and can be sharp for a 7:00 am meeting with a 9:00am presentation the next day! I've seen it. :eek:

Rock Hard Corn Frog

2/3/2006, 02:38 PM

Here's a little sumpin sumpin as far as an update on the 12th man..

[URL="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2002780228_12thman03.html"]

Aggy can use your 12 cents.

Ahamay17

2/4/2006, 02:02 PM

I wonder what we'll do with all that money from Paul Allen.

Seems aggie should be more concerned about the state of the actual football program, and ps, it looks silly enough without endorsing this. . . I'm just saying. . .

OklahomaTrombone

2/5/2006, 10:58 AM

Somebody needs to call A&M....

I'm watching the NFL Game of the week, AFC Championship Game edition, and Denver has a flag that says 12th Man.

Texas Golfer

2/5/2006, 05:20 PM

This is the stuff Aggie jokes are made of.

The thought of them wasting their boosters' money and the states' money over something so ridiculous is amazing. It's not like A&M is losing any money over this.

Cam

2/5/2006, 06:24 PM

Somebody needs to call A&M....

I'm watching the NFL Game of the week, AFC Championship Game edition, and Denver has a flag that says 12th Man.
Michael Irvin said "The 12th Man". They might as well include him in the suit.

Tiptonsooner

2/5/2006, 06:38 PM

Silly people, hte lawsuit is to "put money in the players pockets"

Money=12th man

lufkinaggie07

2/6/2006, 12:34 AM

Damn, first the Superbowl and now the 12th Man, sucks to be a Seahawks fan, Mr. Allen make that check out to Texas A&M, Home of the Real 12th Man!

TexasLidig8r

2/6/2006, 10:21 AM

Damn, first the Superbowl and now the 12th Man, sucks to be a Seahawks fan, Mr. Allen make that check out to Texas A&M, Home of the Real 12th Man!

Well, the Seahags and aggy do share something in common... they have each won the same number of national championships since the end of WWII.... that would be.. zero.

And.. my parochial little friend, keep in mind, if the Seahags decide to play hard ball, and win that little tit-ringer in federal court in Houston, then the trademark for your little 12th Man will be... gone.. no mas.. and any school that runs out of ideas to mock, befuddle and abuse aggy (although, that is hard to imagine, there is always new material).... could use "the 12th Man" however they like.

By the way, have you ever figured out what good or service the trademark "12th Man" protects?

47straight

2/6/2006, 11:47 AM

And.. my parochial little friend, keep in mind, if the Seahags decide to play hard ball, and win that little tit-ringer in federal court in Houston, then the trademark for your little 12th Man will be... gone.. no mas.. and any school that runs out of ideas to mock, befuddle and abuse aggy (although, that is hard to imagine, there is always new material).... could use "the 12th Man" however they like.

By the way, have you ever figured out what good or service the trademark "12th Man" protects?

But if the Aggies didn't try to stop the Seahawks, then they might well lose the TM anyway. The Seahawks defending and winning is a risk, but no more than if the Aggies did nothing.

I would say it protects identifying apparel and merchandise for athletic supporters of Texas A&M.

TexasLidig8r

2/6/2006, 11:54 AM

But if the Aggies didn't try to stop the Seahawks, then they might well lose the TM anyway. The Seahawks defending and winning is a risk, but no more than if the Aggies did nothing.

I would say it protects identifying apparel and merchandise for athletic supporters of Texas A&M.

So.. is the trademark protecting the fan base? Is the trademark protecting the fans willingness to stand up for the entire football game?

The identifying apparel and merchandise are simply the medium through which the trademark is affixed.

Isn't the trademark attempting to protect an idea... something intangible or incorporeal? Not being an IP attorney, I simply don't know if one can obtain a trademark on a non-good, intangible item.

Why don't you go to the professor down there who teaches copyrights/trademarks and run this past him? I'd be curious to see what his response is.