Johnny Manziel has earned the right to call himself a lot of nicknames, thanks to his stellar college football career.
"Johnny Football" is not one of them.
Yet.
ESPN.com is reporting that an examining attorney in the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office has informed an attorney for Manziel that he could not process a trademark application for the exclusive use of "Johnny Football" by Manziel's corporation, JMAN2 Enterprises LLC because another organization filed for the trademark name some three months earlier than Manziel.
The Kenneth R. Reynolds Family Investments, a College Station, Texas-based corporation, first filed for the nickname in 2012. Manziel's corporation did not file for the name until Feb. 2, 2013.
According to ESPN.com, Manziel's representative have filed a letter of protest, arguing that the Reynolds Family group should not have access to the name because it refers to Manziel, and the group would require Manziel's permission to use.
The trademark filing specifically refers to the use of "Johnny Football" on jerseys and footballs.
The examining attorney told Manziel's attorney that a resolution on the earlier application, whether the application is abandoned or registered, must be resolved. Kenneth R. Reynolds Family Investments has until Feb. 16 to prove that "Johnny Football" does not refer to Johnny Manziel.
If the Reynolds family does not respond by Feb. 16, that application will be refused, and Manziel's corporation's trademark request would be available for examination.
ESPN.com added that Manziel's corporation's trademark filing "seeks to protect his use of the phrase on everything from jackets to padded elbow compression sleeves, from skirts and blouses to motivational speaking services.
Manziel led Texas A&M to a wild, 52-48 victory over Duke in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on New Year's Eve, leading the Aggies from a 38-17 halftime deficit. The game included another Manziel highlight of escaping pressure to throw a touchdown pass to start the second half.
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