Tim Tebow is now the proud owner of the trademark for “Tebowing.” Have no fear, this fact doesn’t mean that the New York Jets star will come after you if you still are in the mood to drop into the pose Tebow uses for prayer. It just means that no one but Tebow can profit from the term or the position.
The rights to the term was a long and involved one. According to Deadspin,
Last December, at the height of Tebowmania, the man who started the website Tebowing.com filed the paperwork with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Nearly simultaneously, the owner of TebowingGear.com did the same. (Both sites exist to sell t-shirts.) Two weeks later, Tebow’s attorney sent a letter of protest, arguing that awarding the Tebowing trademark to someone other than the quarterback “is likely to cause some confusion.” The trademark attorney handling the case agreed, denying the two applications because of their “false connection[s] to a living individual.”
Tebow doesn’t plan to profit from Tebowing, which became a sensation last year. If that chances, any proceeds will go to charity.
“I know it was something that was cool for me in the past, but it’s not something I do as ‘Tebowing,’” Tebow said. “It’s something I do that’s prayer for me and then it got hyped up as Tebowing. So I think (it’s) just to control how it’s used as well. Make sure it’s used in the right way.”
As the popularity of Tebowing has waned considerably, this shouldn’t be much of an issue at the moment. But if things change with the Jets and Tebow gets more playing time or–gasp–gets a chance to take a turn at quarterback, all bets are off.
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OCNN Report Columnist – Brandyn Campbell @sports_muse
