The University of Maryland, Baltimore County is seeking to capitalize on its unprecedented basketball upset by registering trademarks for "UMBC Retrievers," "Retriever Nation" and "16 over 1."
The latter is a reference to UMBC's victory over the University of Virginia on Friday night, marking the first time a 16-seeded team defeated a No. 1 seed in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
"The thinking is that any brand is wise to invest in protecting its valuable intellectual property, and here UMBC wanted to make sure that it took the necessary steps to be proactive as its athletics brand became the most talked about topic in the world," said attorney Darren Heitner, who filed the application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office after consulting with athletic director Tim Hall.
UMBC was eliminated from the tournament with a loss to Kansas State on Sunday night, but its opening-round win gave it an enduring place in college basketball history _ as well as commercial cachet.
"With registrations in place, the university will be able to better protect against infringement of its valuable marks, properly designate ownership of its items and open the door to new commercial opportunities," Heitner said.
Obtaining trademark approval typically takes months. The mark must be specific to the applicant. Heitner said he did not seek to register "Retrievers" on its own, as some media outlets reported.
Heitner's firm has worked with a number of well-known athletes and other sports professionals on trademarks.
The list includes college basketball television analyst Bill Raftery, whose catchphrases "With a Kiss" and "Onions" were registered, providing a measure of protection on the commercial use of the words. Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green registered "Money Green," and Heitner said "Dray Day" will be registered once it can be shown the words are being used in commerce.
Hall, UMBC's athletic director, couldn't be reached for comment after Sunday's game.
On Sunday, the UMBC Bookstore awaited a new shipment of custom gear to commemorate the big win: "We Made History" and "All Bark and All Bite." Purchases in-store and online were surging.
UMBC had last made the NCAA Tournament in 2008, losing to No. 2 seed Georgetown in the first round.
