OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. has decided to end the trademark dispute with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
NASCAR legend announced on social media on Friday that it has secured the right to use a stylized version of the number 8 and will stop using the original logo of the number 8 from JR Motorsports, owned by Earnhardt.
This decision comes two days after Jackson filed an opposition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to prevent Earnhardt from using that version of the number 8 from JR Motorsports on merchandising products.
We are looking forward to the rest of an already successful season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Jackson, who has used the number 8 since his college days at Louisville, previously registered the trademark “ERA 8 by Lamar Jackson”. His filing argued that Earnhardt’s attempt to register that particular version of the number 8 would create confusion among consumers.
Review of a trademark dispute can take over a year. If the appeals board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office had denied Earnhardt, Jackson could have sued him if Earnhardt had used it for merchandising.
It’s not the first time Jackson has tried to prevent another athlete from registering a trademark with this number. In July, Jackson challenged Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman’s attempt to use “EIGHT” on clothing and bags.
When asked about this dispute last summer, Jackson said:
Let’s keep this about football. That’s outside noise. We’re sticking with [talking about training] camp, football, and that’s it.
Lamar Jackson
