Ohio State's Bid to Trademark the Word 'The' Denied by US Patent Office

The United States Patent and Trademark Office denied an initial attempt by the Ohio State University to trademark the word "the."

Darren Rovell of the Action Network reported the update Wednesday. Trademark attorney Josh Gerben provided further information about the ruling:

Josh Gerben

Ohio State University's trademark application for the word "THE" has been refused by the USPTO. The USPTO found that: 1. @OhioState is not using the word "THE" as a trademark. 2. Marc Jacobs filed an application for "THE" before Ohio State made its filing. #The analysis ud83dudc47 https://t.co/KfQmlVtvQA

The school made the filing in August in an effort to use "the" on apparel, including T-shirts and hats.