Ohio State University successfully registered a trademark for “THE” on Tuesday after almost three years since originally filing the application.
No, that’s not a typo. They trademarked “THE.” THE! A singular word. And not just any singular word, but the most frequently used word in the English language. I’ve already used the word three times in writing this, not including the (that’s four) three times I referenced the (five) actual trademark.
Anyway, the hold up was a dispute OSU had with (THE?) Marc Jacobs that’s now been settled, and the school needing to prove to the USPTO that its use of “THE” wasn’t “merely ornamental,” according to trademark attorney Josh Gerben on Twitter.
Now Ohio State owns the trademark for the use of “THE” on clothing, and the internet had lots of jokes and questions.
The Ohio State University has successfully registered a trademark for "THE."
The registration was just issued on June 21st by the USPTO.
The application was filed back in August 2019. So why did it take 3 years to get approved?
A thread🧵 pic.twitter.com/Wfa5EFp4DS
— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) June 22, 2022
