Indianapolis Colts settles ‘12th man’ trademark dispute

National Football League (NFL) team the Indianapolis Colts has agreed to end its use of the term ‘12th man’ after reaching a settlement with Texas A&M University.

The university owns three US registered trademarks for the ‘12th man’, used in connection with sporting merchandise.

In November last year, the university sued the NFL team claiming its unauthorised use of the term in connection with promoting tickets to its games was infringing its trademarks.

The lawsuit was filed at the US District Court for the Southern District of Houston.

Earlier that year, the NFL team urged fans to “join the 12th man” and buy tickets for the upcoming sporting season, the complaint said.

But on Wednesday, February 17, both parties agreed to settle the dispute.

In exchange for the university dropping the suit, the NFL team has agreed to remove any mention of the ‘12th man’ from its marketing material immediately.

It has until August 15 to remove a display that uses the term from its home ground, the Lucas Oil Stadium.