When Bill Belichick walked away from the New England Patriots after more than two decades, few imagined the split would spill into trademarks.
But that’s exactly what happened this summer, when Belichick and his partner, Jordon Hudson, tried to secure exclusive rights to several famous phrases linked to his coaching career.
[According to Michael Rothstein of ESPN,](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46199954/four-trademark-applications-bill-belichick-refused) the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office shut those efforts down, ruling that fans could easily confuse Belichick’s filings with the Patriots’ existing trademarks.
The rejected applications included “Do Your Job (Bill’s Version),” “Ignore the Noise (Bill’s Version),” “The Belestrator (Bill’s Version)” and “No Days Off (Bill’s Version).” Each of those phrases has deep ties to New England’s dynasty years. The Patriots trademarked “The Belestrator” in 2009, “Do Your Job” in 2013, and both “No Days Off” and “Ignore the Noise” in 2017.
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben said the ruling wasn’t surprising.
“It was very obvious that the USPTO would refuse these applications,” Gerben explained. “You can’t just add your name to an existing trademark.”
Other filings from Belichick, including “Chapel Bill (Bill’s Version),” “The Belichick Way,” and “The All-Belichick Team,” remain pending. Those trademarks had no conflicts at the time of review.
For now, the fight highlights how the legacy of Belichick’s career is still tied to New England. His six Super Bowls may be cemented in history, but even off the field, the shadow of the Patriots remains impossible to avoid.
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