A pair of eights are set to do battle off the gridiron over a trademark for their jersey number, court records show.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has filed for or owns several trademarks for his jersey number, although he is contesting a company alias, FL101 Inc., which has also filed for similar trademarks.
Jackson claims that these trademarks by FL101 — a company that lists former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman as a director — attempting to use “EIGHT” would be “likely to cause confusion, or cause mistake, or deceive” the purchasing public, Jackson’s attorney said in a July 9 court filing according to ESPN.
“[Jackson] has expended considerable time, effort, and expense in promoting, advertising, and popularizing the number 8 in connection with his personality and fame” and “is well-known by this number due to his notoriety and fame, along with his promotion of this number in his trademarks and in media coverage,” court appeals said.
The trademark filings include an attempt by FL101 to make “EIGHT Light Beer Made Right” alongside 36 other trademark applications.
Jackson applied or owns trademarks such as “Era 8”, “You 8 yet” and “Era 8 by Lamar Jackson.”
Both Aikman and Jackson wore the No. 8 throughout their career, Jackson doing so at Lousiville, where he won a Heisman Trophy, and Aikman at UCLA and then Dallas.
Aikman, a Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN “Monday Night Football” analyst, is attempting to legally own the number that Lakers star Kobe Bryant once donned and is currently worn by Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin.
Jackson is now a two-time NFL MVP award winner, having won it in 2024 and 2019 while also winning the Heisman in 2016.
Aikman wore No. 8 for UCLA after transferring from Oklahoma, finishing third in the 1988 Heisman Trophy voting and being selected No. 1 overall in 1989 by the Cowboys.
Aikman quarterbacked the Cowboys to three Super Bowls in the 90s.