SCC Blog

Patenting the Patriots

Back in the late 1980’s, the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers brought home two straight championships.  After the victory parades were over, Pat Riley (the team’s coach), trademarked the phrase “three-peat” so he could cash in on licensing fees if the team went on to win a third straight title.  Unfortunately for Riley and the Lakers, the Detroit Pistons would crush those hopes by beating them in the finals in year three. 

In the early 90’s, the Chicago Bulls (led by Michael Jordan) would capture those elusive three straight championships for a “three-peat”.  Riley, however, was one step ahead and earned millions in royalties because of his intuition to trademark the “three-peat” moniker. 

In yet another example of why the Patriots are a model pro sports franchise, the team, like Riley, is one step ahead.  They have reportedly already filed applications to patent “19-0″ and “19-0 The Perfect Season”, despite the fact that they still need to beat the Giants in the Super Bowl to achieve the mark of 19-0. 

Needless to say, the New York Post was not amused.  The paper filed a patent trademark application of their own in retaliation. They’re hoping to attain the rights to “18-1″, and you can bet they’ll be selling a lot of those t-shirts should the Super Bowl result in a Giants victory.

*** Questions for Classroom Discussion ***

1) What is licensing?

2) What does licensing have to do with sports/entertainment marketing?

3) Is this bad publicity for the Patriots?  Positive publicity for the Giants?  Does it matter?  Discuss as a class.

Posted in Branding, Licensing/Branding, Marketing, Public Relations/Publicity |

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