Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has earned the nickname “Iceman” for his clutch performances on the field, but his effort to trademark his nickname has hit an early snag.
According to ESPN, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has initially refused Williams’ application to trademark the word “Iceman”, mainly due to the confusion with an existing trademark owned by LaCrosse Footwear for its “Iceman” line of insulated boots.
The setback quickly circulated on social media after NFL insider Adam Schefter shared the update. Several fans questioned why Williams pursued the trademark in the first place.
“What a dumb pursuit,” one fan wrote.
Another user labeled Williams the “Corniest QB in the league.”
Others pointed out that NBA Hall of Famer George Gervin has long been associated with the nickname.
“There is only 1 Iceman and it sure as hell isnt him,” one comment read.
“I thought George Gervin had that,” another fan added.
“Everybody tryna trademark every word anymore smh. You ain’t special,” one fan wrote.
“You can earn a nickname on the field, but owning it on paper is a whole different game.” – another user wrote.
Others joked that the timing was unfortunate: “As if that was going to work after Drake just dropped the album lol.”
Does Caleb Williams Still Have a Shot at Getting the Trademark?
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben told ESPN that initial refusals are common, with roughly 63.5% of trademark applications get turned down.
“They make the connection between the other goods in Caleb’s application, saying that even though these are just insulated boots and Caleb is claiming shirts and hats and pants and all these other things, that those are related goods,” said Josh Gerben,
“The registration that they’re citing here is for obviously a very limited product line. Literally insulated boots. Look, it might be harder for him to get Iceman registered for a brand of clothing items because of that, but there’s other things in his application that he could possibly still wind up with a registration here.” – he added.
The Bears quarterback previously explained that his goal was not to challenge George Gervin’s legacy but to protect merchandise connected to his own brand.
“It’s funny because I didn’t know. My dad probably knows his nickname was that, but it’s not between me and George or anything like that, it’s more or less people making clothing or people making things like that. And I can’t control what people are making of me or anything like that and putting the name on it. So, it’s just to control that aspect of it. That was the main reason of doing it.” – Williams said to Front Office Sports in April.
Whether he ultimately secures the trademark remains to be seen, but the initial ruling would have left him disappointed.
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