Now out of the hospital and on the mend, Damar Hamlin has filed a pair of trademark applications related to his horrific ordeal, including one for “Did We Win?”
You don’t often hear about a pro athlete filing for trademarks from a hospital bed, but as first reported by Darren Rovell — and contextualized by trademark attorney Josh Gerben of Gerben Intellectual Property point out — Damar Hamlin did exactly that on Jan. 6.
Five days later, the Buffalo Bills safety was discharged from Buffalo General Medical Center in New York. It’s a remarkable and heart-warming milestone after the 24-year-old was hospitalized due to a cardiac arrest he experienced during a game against the Bengals on Jan. 2.
Now, as he continues his road to recovery, he’ll focus on getting the following trademark applications approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office:
- “DID WE WIN”
- “THREE IS BACK”
Per the applications, Hamlin intends to use the trademarks to offer clothing, motivational speaking services, athletic training services, posters, pens, pins, and mugs. It’s likely that he will want to protect businesses around him and ensure the money goes to certain initiatives like his Chasing M’s charity, which has raised over $8.7 million as of this writing.
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The Meaning
“DID WE WIN”
These were the first words Hamlin reportedly said when he awoke at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after the incident. In response to his question, doctors told him, “Yes. You won the game of life.” Now, Hamlin plans to give back via his inspiring words — he plans on using proceeds from the sale of t-shirts emblazoned with “Did We Win?” to raise money for the trauma center in Cincinnati that treated him.
“Three Is Back“
It’s simple: Hamlin, who wears No. 3, is back and ready to inspire.
Trademark Dispute?
According to Gerben, Jetfuel Ventures LLC in Coney Island filed an application for “Did We Win?” the day before Hamlin did. A couple things here: First and foremost, this is some nasty business, if true. Secondly, there’s no way that Hamlin’s camp would have known about it — filings are only available five days after the initial file. It does, however, show you why there may have been some urgency for Hamlin and his camp to get the two applications in.
If Hamlin’s team noticed others selling clothing and other items online, they would have wanted to move quickly to file trademark applications to try to block sales of any unauthorized merchandise. It’s a thoughtful move by Hamlin’s team by not only protecting his health and well-being, but also his legal rights.
His “Did We Win?” shirts can be found here.
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