The Colts are being sued for calling their fans the ‘12th Man’
The Indianapolis Colts are being sued.
Texas A&M University has filed a lawsuit against the NFL team for trademark infringment over the use of the term “12th man’’ to describe its fans. University President Michael K. Young released a statement, via ABC13, saying in part, “Texas A&M University is the Home of the 12th Man which has brought our fan base national renown. We would prefer not to file lawsuits to protect our trademarks. However, when our intellectual property, especially the 12th Man mark which is so important to our students and former students, is used without our permission after repeated attempts to engage on the matter, we are left with no choice.’’
The Colts inducted the 12th man into their Ring of Honor in 2007. Other teams have used the phrase and have also heard from Texas A&M. The school reached a settlement with the Seattle Seahawks to allow Seattle to use it until 2016. The Seahawks now call their fanbase, “The 12s’’.
According to the Texas A&M lawsuit, the Colts have been violating the trademark for years.
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Texas A&M says they began using the “12th Man’’ phrase in 1922, and that federal trademarks for the phrase date back to 1990.
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