Ohio State seeks to trademark 'The' for its merchandise

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State University wants to trademark the word “The” when used as part of the school’s name on university merchandise.

The Columbus Dispatch reports OSU submitted a trademark application this month to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Washington. The application requests a standard character trademark for the title “The Ohio State University” that would cover various items including T-shirts, baseball caps and hats.

University spokesman Chris Davey confirmed the application. A statement from Davey said the school “works to vigorously protect the university’s brand and trademarks.”

OSU has previously secured other trademarks, including names of well-known Ohio State football coaches such as Woody Hayes and Urban Meyer.

An Ohio State spokesman said last fall that the university had 150 trademarks in 17 countries and other applications pending.