Thank goodness for Twitter. Without it, how else could a respected educational institution threaten a professional football team with legal malice?
(Well, other than a phone call, fax, private email or old-fashioned letter and 44-cent stamp.)
While the Denver Broncos basked in the glow of their wild-card playoff victory over the Steelers on Sunday, the vice president of marketing and communications for Texas A&M University decided to go Grinch over a purported trademark violation.
"FYI #Broncos, the 12th Man belongs to Texas A&M," Jason Cook tweeted. "We saw the flag today and will defend our trademark. #TAMU #gigem."
If Cook follows up on his threat, it won't be the first time the Aggies have lawyered up over the "12th Man." They previously sued the Seahawks for using the phrase, eventually reaching a settlement with the team. Seattle now is under contract with Texas A&M to use "12th Man," but must include the following disclaimer any time it is used in print: "The term 12th MAN is a trademark of Texas A & M University and its use is pursuant to a license agreement with the university."
The lesson here? Lawyers ruin everything.
