Four Applications by Bill Belichick Denied by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

On September 3rd, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied four trademark applications filed by Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson.¹ The Patent Office stated that the phrases would likely be confusing if approved.² Back in April, TCE Rights Management (“TCE”) applied for trademarks of fourteen different phrases, including: “Do Your Job (Bill’s Version),” “Ignore the Noise (Bill’s Version),” “The Belestrator (Bill’s Version),” and ”No Days Off (Bill’s Version).”³ However, Belichick’s former employer, the New England Patriots, holds the rights to the trademarks.⁴  

The phrase, “The Belestrator” was trademarked by The Patriots in 2009.⁵ In 2013, “Do Your Job” was trademarked.⁶ “No Days Off” and “Ignore the Noise” were also trademarked by The Patriots in 2017.⁷ The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office bars registration for a mark that is “so similar to a registered mark that it is likely consumers would be confused, mistaken, or deceived as to the commercial source of the goods and/or services of the parties.”⁸ Here, Belichick added “Bill’s Version” to these phrases, but they are too similar for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to approve.⁹

According to the application, TCE wanted to use the trademarks for keychains, hats, and other clothing.¹⁰ They also wanted to use the trademarks for media uses, such as books and podcasts.¹¹ The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office gave TCE three months to appeal.¹² The Patent Office stated the other trademarks filed by TCE: “Chapel Bill (Bill’s Version),” “The Belichick Way,” and “The All-Belichick Team” did not have conflicting marks.¹³ We will see in the upcoming months if TCE appeals the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s ruling.

1. Zach Powell, Trademark office denies 4 applications filed by Bill Belichick, girlfriend Jordon Hudson, The Athletic (Sept. 9, 2025), https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6614069/2025/09/09/bill-belichick-jordon-hudson-trademark-denied-patriots/ ↩︎
2. Id. ↩︎
3. Id. ↩︎
4. Id. ↩︎
5. Id. ↩︎
6. Id. ↩︎
7. Id. ↩︎
8. Id. ↩︎
9. Id. ↩︎
10. Id. ↩︎
11. Id. ↩︎
12. Michael Rothstein, Four trademark applications by Bill Belichick refused, ESPN (Sept. 8, 2025), https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46199954/four-trademark-applications-bill-belichick-refused ↩︎
13. Id. ↩︎

Featured image: Associated Press, Bill Belichick gets first UNC win and confirms he has banned Patriots scouts, The Guardian (Sept. 7, 2025) https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/sep/07/bill-belichick-gets-first-unc-win-and-confirms-he-has-banned-patriots-scouts