Darren Rovell is reporting that Johnny Manziel has moved a step closer to fully owning the rights to the phrase “Johnny Football.”
Johnny Manziel wins initial trademark battle, closer to owning "Johnny Football" http://t.co/SF1Cq0olYT
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) March 21, 2014
On Thursday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office sent a letter to Kenneth R. Reynolds Family Investments, located in College Station, which had filed for the “Johnny Football” trademark before Manziel, rejecting its claim to the phrase.
“Registration is refused because the applied-for mark consists of or includes a name, portrait, or signature identifying a particular living individual whose written consent to register the mark is not of record,” the examining attorney wrote. To make the case, the attorney attached articles that referred to Manziel as “Johnny Football.”
The investment firm filed for the trademark on Nov. 1, 2012, during Manziel’s rise to prominence as Texas A&M’s star quarterback.
Manziel’s organization, JMAN2 Enterprises, filed for the trademark three months later.
The firm now has up to six months to either request the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to reconsider or file an appeal to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. The company’s attorney Stephen Hollas could not be immediately reached.
Manziel’s filing, which was put on hold in December, will be reopened after a final resolution is reached on the Reynolds filing. The ruling opens up the possibility for Nike and Manziel to incorporate Johnny Football into a marketing campaign.
