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There have been a lot of gifted athletes who wore No. 8, and Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson is one who is currently carrying that torch. Along with wearing the number, he has also tried to get it trademarked in several business ventures that he has. Hall of Famer Troy Aikman also wore the No. 8 when he played, and has used it in several business ventures as well, which has led to a conflict of interest between him and Jackson.
In the latest news, Jackson has withdrawn his challenge for the use of No. 8 in trademarks Aikman and his company filed for in 2024. Jackson's attorneys filed a motion to withdraw the opposition with prejudice and without the consent of Aikman's team.
“Lamar is withdrawing this saying it's with prejudice,” Josh Gerben said, who is a trademark attorney at Gerben Law. “Meaning I can never file this again, and I'm not even having the consent of the defendant.”
Since Lamar is withdrawing his challenge, this will allow FL101, the company that filed the trademark request and has Aikman as one of the directors, to use the markings it applied for.
Gerben noted that he wasn't sure if there was an agreement between Jackson and Aikman, but he wouldn't know.
In July 2024, Jackson challenged Aikman's use of the word “EIGHT” on things such as apparel, beer, bags, and energy drinks. Jackson had trademarked around the number, which included the phrases “Era 8 by Lamar Jackson,” “Era 8,” and “You 8 yet?” In filings, he claimed that the usage of “EIGHT” would confuse people when they wanted to buy products.
Earlier this year, Jackson and NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended their trademark battle as Earnhardt secured his rights to a different No. 8. Before then, Earnhardt was trying to use a trademark of a stylized No. 8 that Jackson objected to.
