Bears quarterback Caleb Williams lost his initial bid to trademark “Iceman,” but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denial has nothing to do with NBA legend George Gervin or former UFC fighter Chuck Liddell, each of whom has also laid claims to the mark.
Williams has not been approved to own the trademark because Oregon-headquartered Lacrosse Footwear has held the “Iceman” registration since 1988 for insulated boots, according to the refusal published Wednesday by the USPTO. The denial is not final, and Williams can appeal the decision.
“This is the initial volley,” IP attorney Josh Gerben tells Front Office Sports.
There’s a strong case Williams can make, according to Gerben, who wrote in a blog post that the “refusal does not appear to be the strongest work by the USPTO.”
On appeal, Williams can argue that the insulated boot from Lacrosse is a “very specific thing people are looking for,” Gerben tells FOS.
The budding NFL star applied to use the trademark for a variety of goods, from sunglasses, footballs, and digital trading cards to clothing items. Gerben says Williams can argue to the USPTO that the merchandise he intends to sell will not be similar to the boots and therefore would not cause confusion in the marketplace.
“I think there are some good arguments for Caleb on appeal here,” Gerben says. “Although it may be difficult to get the registration for clothing, which might be one of the more important things.”
In order to maintain a trademark, the owner must file a renewal every 10 years, and they must continue to sell the product in question, Gerben tells FOS. It’s not totally clear whether Lacrosse still sells the “Iceman” boots—the product doesn’t come up when searching its website, although the company does sell liners for the boots at a discounted price.
Lacrosse does sell a different boot called Ice King. Representatives for Lacrosse could not immediately be reached. A representative for its parent company, Japan’s ABC-Mart, which acquired Lacrosse in 2012, did not respond to an email.
If Lacrosse does not sell “Iceman” boots anymore, Williams can ask for the company’s registration to be cancelled “on the grounds that they are no longer using it,” Gerben says.
A representative for Williams declined to immediately comment Thursday. Even if he successfully appeals, there’s no guarantee he will get the “Iceman” trademark. Soon after the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft made his filing in March, Gervin—a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer who played in the NBA in the 1970s and 1980s—told ESPN he was “caught off guard.” Gervin subsequently made his own filing to own the “Iceman” trademark.
In April, Williams told FOS he meant no harm. “It’s all respect to George,” he said.
Because Gervin’s filing was made a few days after Williams’s, an initial decision on his trademark request could come very soon. Gerben says the same refusal may be issued, especially because the USPTO has denied roughly 65% of new trademark applications this year.
“But they also might cite Caleb’s filings and say ‘by the way, even if you figure this out, you’re still stuck behind Caleb,’” he says.
Meanwhile, Gervin and Williams are not the only athletes who have staked a claim to the nickname. Liddell, the former UFC fighter, filed in 2023 to trademark “Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell.”
