It looks like a starting NFL quarterback might also have to play some defense against his own team this year. Kirk Cousins, who is the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, filed a trademark application for the mark “YOU VIKE THAT!” on March 20, 2018.
If you are a fan of the NFL, you may recall that while with the Washington Redskins in 2015, Cousins led a huge comeback in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, digging his team out of a 24-0 hole and throwing a game winning touchdown with 24 seconds left to play. At the completion of that game, Cousins yelled “You like that?!” to the cameras as he was walking to the locker room and the video ended up going viral. To capitalize on his newly found fame, he quickly filed a trademark for the phrase YOU LIKE THAT! on October 27, 2015, two days after his epic comeback.
Earlier this year, after Cousins signed a lucrative contract with the Vikings, he realized that he can make a play off of his original trademark. Five days after signing with the Vikings, he filed his new trademark application which made its way through the review process and was approved for publication by an Examining Attorney. Upon approval, each trademark application enters into an opposition period, where third parties may submit oppositions if they feel they would be damaged if the trademark were to register. If a party needs some extra time to decide whether or not to oppose the mark, they can request an extension from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to file an opposition.
Unfortunately for Cousins, his own team, the Minnesota Vikings, has submitted an extension request to oppose his application. The extension expires on 10/6/2018, so we will keep an eye on this one to see see how it plays out.
