You know you're big when someone tries to trademark your name

And now, the latest news from the intellectual property in sports desk: NFL quarterback Vince Young is suing three individuals who have tried to register his nicknames, "VY" and "Invinceable," with the USPTO. According to USA Today, Young's lawyer has said that the trademark registration has stood in the way of a deal with Reebok, who was apparently interested in marketing some "VY" merchandise.

I checked it out on TESS and, sure enough, the mark is currently registered. (To see for yourself, go to the uspto.gov website, click on trademarks on the left side, and then click on TESS, the third option down. Enter the mark in the "New User Form Search.")

For an enlightening discussion of the ins and outs of using personal names as trademarks, check out the latest edition of Stephen Elias and Richard Stim's Trademark: Legal Care for your Business & Product Name. (That link is to the eBook, which requires a library card to log in. If you don't have one and you're a California resident, you're in luck: SFPL has a brand-new eCard, which gives CA residents access to thousands of online resources. Learn more about it here.)

Trademark woes aside, it must be quite an ego-booster when somebody feels that your name or nickname is valuable enough to merit a trademark registration!