The Bill Belichick era at North Carolina got off to a slow start with a nationally televised primetime loss to TCU in Week 1, but the Tar Heels bounced back to beat Charlotte 20-3 and climb back to .500 on the season. Things have not been going much better off the field as Belichick has banned Patriots scouts from UNC because he thinks he has been banned from Foxboro, which New England has denied.
As if that wasn't enough, the Patriots also appear to have cost Belichick and girlfriend Jordon Hudson some trademarks.
You may recall that earlier this year Belichick applied for a number of trademarks for mostly common phrases dressed up with "(Bills' version)." It was noted that many of the originals were already owned by the Patriots and that's exactly why the United States Patent and Trademark Office has denied the filings according to trademark attorney Josh Gerben.
The USPTO has denied Bill Belichick’s trademark filings for:
— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) September 9, 2025
1. DO YOUR JOB (BILL'S VERSION)
2. NO DAYS OFF (BILL'S VERSION)
3. IGNORE THE NOISE (BILL'S VERSION)
The reason for the refusals?
The Patriots own the trademarks (sans the "Bill's Version").#PatriotsNation pic.twitter.com/VmuU3PEcOc
We will now wait to find out whether the USPTO approves the trademark that Belichick and Hudson want for the term "gold digger." While you wait, you can watch the Tar Heels take on Richmond on the ACC Network at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bill Belichick Has Suffered Another Off-Field Setback Thanks to the Patriots.
