Bill Belichick has never been shy about control, whether on the sidelines or in the front office.
But his latest attempt to take ownership of his legacy hit a wall, as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected his bid to trademark several iconic phrases he popularized during his two-decade run with the New England Patriots.
The 73-year-old coach and his partner, Jordon Hudson, filed four applications earlier this year through TCE Rights Management, Hudson’s firm.
Their idea was to add “Bill’s Version” to some of Belichick’s best-known sayings, echoing Taylor Swift’s successful strategy of re-recording her early albums and branding them “Taylor’s Version” to regain control of her catalog.
Among the phrases they tried to lock down were “Do Your Job (Bill’s Version),” “Ignore the Noise (Bill’s Version),” “No Days Off (Bill’s Version),” and even “The Belestrator (Bill’s Version).”
Why the move failed
The trademark office swiftly denied the requests, pointing to potential consumer confusion. The Patriots had already registered trademarks for the same slogans: “The Belestrator” in 2009, “Do Your Job” in 2013, and both “Ignore the Noise” and “No Days Off” in 2017.
“It is likely consumers would be confused, mistaken or deceived as to the commercial source of the goods and/or services of the parties,” the USPTO wrote.
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben told ESPN the ruling was inevitable.
“It was very obvious that the USPTO would refuse these applications from the start,” Gerben explained. “They’re too similar. Like, I can’t say I’m going to make ‘Nike shoes (Josh’s Version).’ Once somebody has a trademark registered on a name or a phrase, you’re not able to just simply add something to it and get it registered.”
The failed filing is just the latest flashpoint in the sour breakup between Belichick and New England. Since parting ways after the 2023 season, Belichick has butted heads with his former team repeatedly.
Just last week, the now-North Carolina head coach banned Patriots scouts from attending Tar Heels practices, prompting new Patriots boss Mike Vrabel to extend an “open invite” back to Foxborough.
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