One major problem with the Texas A&M trademark for the phrase "12th Man" is that they filed a false and misleading trademark application to obtain it. In defending the trademark, they first have to defend their fraudulent claims associated with their use of the phrase.
The university claims they adopted the phrase in 1922 after a football game. The first use of the phrase actually occurred at least more than two decades earlier in 1900 by a Univ of Minnesota cheerleader) and had no connection with TAMU.
The school's first use of the !2th Man phrase as they claim it to exist occurred in 1939, not 1922, and was part of a fictionalized radio program written by the head of the school's alumni association. We know this because E. King Gill, the individual the school recognizes as the team's "12th Man" explained this fact in numerous interviews.
Here a link to an explanation of the history of the TAMU claims.
Here is a link to a snippet from a Apr 15, 1964 Dallas Morning News interview where E. King Gill explains he was not aware of any !2th Man tradition at the school prior to the 1939 radio play.
It appears the school administrators have concocted a large scale fraud to obtain a trademark on the phrase "12th Man." As a governmental entity, the school has an unquestioned obligation to withdraw the fraudulent federal trademark filing and to correct the factual errors.
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The university claims they adopted the phrase in 1922 after a football game. The first use of the phrase actually occurred at least more than two decades earlier in 1900 by a Univ of Minnesota cheerleader) and had no connection with TAMU.
The school's first use of the !2th Man phrase as they claim it to exist occurred in 1939, not 1922, and was part of a fictionalized radio program written by the head of the school's alumni association. We know this because E. King Gill, the individual the school recognizes as the team's "12th Man" explained this fact in numerous interviews.
Here a link to an explanation of the history of the TAMU claims.
http://www.hornsports.com/articles/featured1395317068/texas-am-and-the-12th-man-the-story-of- th-r3866
Here is a link to a snippet from a Apr 15, 1964 Dallas Morning News interview where E. King Gill explains he was not aware of any !2th Man tradition at the school prior to the 1939 radio play.
http://imgur.com/4876CD4
It appears the school administrators have concocted a large scale fraud to obtain a trademark on the phrase "12th Man." As a governmental entity, the school has an unquestioned obligation to withdraw the fraudulent federal trademark filing and to correct the factual errors.
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by Randolph Duke.
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