Lamar Jackson, Troy Aikman in Legal Battle Over the Number Eight

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson filed a complaint with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office over the No. 8, specifically Hall of Famer Troy Aikman’s marketing of the number.

ESPN first reported Jackson’s filings, which claim Aikman’s use of the number on merchandise would be “likely to cause confusion, or cause mistake, or to deceive” buyers as to which quarterback’s goods they are buying.

Aikman founded a beer company called “Eight,” and through parent company FL101, sells other items including beach towels, energy drinks, apparel, and bags displaying the number. FL101 owns nine trademark applications for “eight,” according to ESPN. Jackson has filed two appeals against FL101 with the trademark office.

Jackson, the 2023 NFL MVP, has applied for or owns a variety of “eight” trademarks in different phrases, including “Era 8,” and “You 8 yet?” The appeals say 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.”

Jackson’s attorney says the current player registered his trademarks first, ESPN reported, and that Aikman’s products are “highly similar in sound, appearance, connotation, and commercial impression.”

Both the word “eight” and the numeral are included in thousands of registered and pending trademarks with the federal government. Aikman has until Aug. 18 to file his appeal.

Jackson wore No. 8 at Louisville and for his entire career in Baltimore. Aikman wore the same number at UCLA—though not for his first two college seasons at Oklahoma, where he was No. 18—and for all 12 seasons with the Cowboys. Aikman is now an analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, which will host Jackson’s Ravens on Oct. 21 and Nov. 25.